in illo tempore
by hiroyukibenjamin
Summary: N thought his broken heart was mended, but it was still scarred by betrayal and sadness. This Chapter in N's Story had been paused for a very long time, but it reconvenes as he looks deeper into his memories and searches for the Potion for his own heart. Meanwhile, a new resident of the Unova Region tells the story of his Pilgrimage, and the gut feeling that had brought him here...
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**Nimbasa City / 15 Years Later**

N had arrived at Nimbasa City. Pokémon were everywhere in this metropolitan community of humans, seemingly living peacefully with very few boundaries, if not any. Despite what he had experienced up to this date, growing up with one ideology and living with another was far from easy.

As he was walking, N heard very quick and small footsteps. Suddenly, a young girl bumped into N's feet. N stepped back at the small impact, but the girl fell down. All N could do was stare at the little girl. The girl didn't seem to get hurt in any way, and she stood up and gazed up at N with her brown eyes. N gave the girl a tiny smile, but the girl looked at N and skipped towards her mother who was calling her from nearby. N looked at the girl walk, seeing her talk with her mother and giving her a smile, unlike when she didn't smile back at N. He didn't know what it was, nor did he even see the point in reacting to such a tiny event, and yet somehow, not getting a smile back from the little girl hit him. The Pokémon he would be surrounded by would always smile at him, and always give him comfort. But how could he expect any comfort from any human being? Did he even need any?

N walked along the bustling city for another 15 minutes, when he noticed a young boy who seemed barely at the age when he can have a Pokémon of his own. The boy was gleefully hugging his Pichu and smiling. What N overheard him saying was shocking and heavy in his unique mind.

"You're my best friend Pichu! Will you always be with me? Always?" N wasn't able to hear Pichu's response, and he was rather disappointed that he wasn't able to, but it was another shock for N that it didn't seem like he had any hesitation to say "No."

That little boy "owned" that Pichu. Pichu was not free; he was possessed by another human being, but Pichu didn't seem to want to run away. If anything, it seemed like the Pichu wanted to be with the boy forever itself….

"UGH!" N grimaces at his own thoughts. He thought he had gotten over this, years ago, when his flight with the Legendary Pokémon gave him some time to think about his entire life, and how all of it was a lie.

But maybe that was exactly why he couldn't set himself free from his new mind. He was afraid of being betrayed and lied to again. He wanted the truth, and the truth only. He released all of the Pokémon he and his team had taken away, and he thought he had moved on, and he certainly has to some extent. Unfortunately, too much of N's life was trapped in that forest of new knowledge, and he was undeniably lost for a very long time, all by himself…

As N kept walking, he saw a group of younger boys who were laughing at each other's jokes and pushing each other jokingly. N wondered if he had ever experienced anything like that in his entire life, even with his own friends that he and only he was able to communicate with. He was able to answer his own question rather quickly. Pokémon will always be his friends, and he hardly ever considered having that sort of friendly interaction with anybody else. As he listened to the crowd screaming and laughing, it was one of the many moments that N was forced to realize that he was a lot more secluded than he had imagined. It was one thing to have only a few human interactions, but it was another to realize that he didn't have anyone, Pokémon or human, beside him either. In a way he was neither human nor Pokémon. Maybe he was indeed the "Freak" that Ghetsis said he was. But he was still engulfed in his own ideology, hardly ever trying to move towards what he truly was. He could relate to the Pokémon, those that were hurt, and abused, and lied to, but he was still human, with a human brain, human hands, and a human heart. But not being able to relate to him justified Ghetsis' words even more… Every time he saw a Pokémon and its trainer together, he focused on the Pokémon. Every time he went to a Pokémon Center (which he hardly ever did, not being able to stand some of the things he had to see) and saw both a Pokémon and its trainer injured, he hardly felt any sympathy towards the trainer. In fact, two years ago he would have felt anger and hatred towards them.

_How dare they put their Pokémon in such a dangerous situation? Let them suffer. It serves them right… _

"Excuse me?" N was released from his own mind when he heard somebody talk to him. The man was rather old and he was walking with a cane and old brown hat. At the same time looked very kind and approachable.

"Do you live in this city? This city has changed and I've become so old that… I got lost at my own hometown." He looked rather embarrassed and continued his one-sided conversation. "I'm looking for a street that goes to a small teahouse, and I can't seem to figure out how to get to the street. I was doing some errands for my wife, but I've never been to this area before and…"

"No, I do not live here." N cut him off, not really knowing how to embrace anything that the old man was talking about. "I don't know of any teahouse either." N replied. The man smiled and nodded.

"Ah… I apologize. You wouldn't be interested in the lament of an old man like me. But thank you anyway. I appreciate it."

N didn't know of any quiet areas in this city. He thought he had known the entire region quite well, but obviously the world was much larger than he had ever imagined. He simply knew too little in more ways than one. He also wondered what the teahouse even was. Obviously a place that served tea, but, what was the big deal? Tea was everywhere and he had a cup every once in a while. Why couldn't the old man have gone to another teahouse or even a café nearby? But it wasn't moments later when yet again his thoughts were interrupted by a voice; but this time it wasn't a human.

"_Wow... I want to go to the forest sometime…"_

"Hmm?" When N heard the voice, he looked around and noticed the Ivysaur and his owner looking at a big picture of the forest. The Ivysaur was being held by his trainer, and both were looking at the array of pretty pictures of a certain forest in awe. In fact, there seemed to be a relatively large crowd around the pictures. The folks in the city seemed to crave views of nature once in a while. As N walked close by, the middle-aged male vendor, who was clearly the one presenting those pictures, looked over at N and smiled.

"Have you ever been to Arborville Forest? It's very far away but it's beautiful, and I just wanted to share my experience with everyone!"

N has heard of Arborville Forest before. He tried to remember when he originally heard the name of the forest. Oddly enough, all he could remember was his rage that boiled inside him when he heard about it for the first time, whatever the cause may have been.

"I make crafts out of wood, and I travel around the world to find the best wood. Oh, I don't chop down trees of course! Anyway, all of this was made from Arborville wood! Here, do you wanna take a look?" N comes closer to the vendor's booth. The booth was surrounded with wooden crafts, many of them depicting different shapes of Pokémon, particularly those that would live happily in a forest or a similar environment, which N was rather amused by. Noticing the little smile N let out, the vendor seemed to be satisfied. Who wouldn't be happy to see someone else appreciate what they have created?

All of the crafted wood, along with the incense that was used by the vendor to set up the mood even more had invited the crowd as well, providing them with an olfactory treat. N breathed in the aroma that was all around the booth...

_Don't worry… it's okay… I won't hurt you…_

"!?"

N looked around and wondered who that was. But it wasn't a human, nor was it a Pokémon. In fact it wasn't even what he heard, but rather what he remembered. It was such an odd feeling, and N quickly walked away from the booth and looked up at the sky, trying to remember the scent of the wood and forest and those gentle words. He used to live nearby a forest but it was definitely not the same, and yet it wasn't far away from the castle he once lived in. N shook his head, actually believing that he would be able to take all of the confusion out of his mind.

N had to sit down from the exhaustion from thinking, let alone the fact that not one part of it made any sense. All of it was triggered by something that was hidden in the corner of his memories that he hadn't absorbed in years.

"_Let me go! Let… me.. go!"_

There was the voice again…


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Nimbasa City / 1 Hour Later**

Mr. Klein sat down on the chair to rest his aching back. Words couldn't describe how relieved he was to reach the teahouse after wandering around what felt like the entire city. A diverse region like Unova had to have one of these small teahouses with an ethnic twist all around. Oriental music flew out of the music player attached to the speaker at the far end of the counter towards the wall. As Mr. Klein started to take a glance at the menu, a young man walked towards him and placed a glass of water on the table. One might have noticed the dark red mark under his left eye along with his long charcoal-colored hair tied into a ponytail and dark green robe-like outfit. The patterns on the shirt seemed made the outfit seem like it was made by hand. The shirt was tied around his waist with a relatively large sash, with three Pokéballs attached to it, and right beside the Pokéballs was an embroidery that seemed like the young man's name: -SHIN-.

"Have you decided, Mr. Klein?" Shin asked the old gentleman who was still looking at the menu. "If you haven't, I have a great recommendation for the day." Mr. Klein looked up at couldn't help but smile back at Shin's hospitality.

"We got some great herbs from the garden the other day, and the tealeaves are finally ready, if you want to try that!" Dr. Klein nodded in curiosity.

"I trust your words. You always make the best recommendations." After Shin told Mr. Klein that he would get right to it, he moved behind the counter to get started. Mr. Klein couldn't help but watch Shin demonstrate his preparation; he had always enjoyed having a cup of tea here, but the past two months since Shin arrived have been a rather outstanding experience. As Shin turned on the water at the sink, Mr. Klein began to speak…

"Boy, am I glad that I reached here. I got lost in the city I live in. It is a pain to be so old, but my wife insisted that I get a famous loaf of bread from a famous bakery. If she weren't blind, she definitely would have gone herself, but thank goodness she didn't… I reached the bakery but… I simply didn't know how to get back. In fact, on the way I asked a young man for directions and I think he was rather surprised. How embarrassing..." Shin pulled his patterned sleeves up and chuckled.

"Well, it is a big city. I get lost myself… not gonna lie." Shin began to wash his hands very thoroughly. "You've been here for 50 years and you can get lost. I've only been here for 2 months. Imagine what kind of situation I can potentially be in…"

That was when they heard a knock on the glass window beside the counter near the speakers. A Meganium was tapping the window with its vine whip. Shin glanced at the Meganium and walked towards him, playfully tapping the window in return. He smiled widely as he noticed Meganium holding a small brown burlap bag in its mouth.

"It looks like Meganium read my mind!" As Shin commented casually yet humorously, and Mr. Klein couldn't help but laugh. He continued to witness the significant bond that Shin and this Meganium seemed to have. As Meganium used its vine whip to rhythmically tap on the windows, Shin followed along with his own slender fingers. Eventually he was playfully making faces and laughing along with the Pokémon across with window. After a few minutes, he looked back at Mr. Klein and bit his lower lip.

"Sorry! I'll get to it." Shin's sheepish response made the old gentleman laugh again. Mr. Klein found their bonding rather endearing, and couldn't help but start a conversation about it.

"You and Meganium seem like the best of friends. I always enjoy seeing you two like that. Tani must be quite proud of you, seeing how you interact with his Pokémon like that."

Shin opened the window and takes the bag of tealeaves from Meganium and gave its head a gentle kiss, letting a little "Thank You" out of his mouth along with a kind and friendly smile. As he closed the window, his attention moved back to Mr. Klein as he walked over to the other end of the counter.

"Oh no, that Meganium is mine. He helps Tani with the teahouse too!" Mr. Klein blinked as Shin corrected him.

"Oh, well, That answers everything!" Mr. Klein responded and looked back at the window where Meganium was. The Gentleman looked at Shin prepare the tea he recommended, wondering if he could get to know this young man a little bit more. He remembered his conversations with Tani: the proprietor of the teahouse and an old friend of Mr. Klein's. Tani told him how perfect he was for the job as a tea specialist, and even during his training days, Shin would know so much more than the Proprietor had anticipated. The quiet oriental music coming from the music player had also set the mood for the uniquely garmented boy as he hummed along to the music. Even though Mr. Klein had just seen his playful side, he couldn't help but wonder what goes on in that serene-looking mind of his.

"Shin?" Mr. Klein broke the silence behind the music.

"Yes?" Even though Shin didn't bring his eyes towards Mr. Klein, he made an attentive response.

"What brought you to Nimbasa City? Tani tells me you used to live in a tree house since you were a child."

That was when the music stopped. Shin took the music player out of the speaker and put it into his pocket. Now the only chanting in the teahouse was the ticking of the clock. The clock was what many would call a "Grandfather's Clock," even though it still had a feel of the Orient to it. The tick-tock of the clock kept Shin's moment of thought from causing complete silence. As the two men heard the whistling of the kettle, Shin turned off the heat and pours the hot water into a small teapot.

"I had a dream one night…" was the only response Shin came up with. Mr. Klein expected a metaphorical response from Shin, hence his answer only caused him to nod. Fortunately, the last process before serving the tea was to wait, and it was a perfect time for Shin to think about what he actually meant in his response. "…or at least I thought I did. I woke up and tried to think about what happened in the dream, and that was when this region popped into my mind." Mr. Klein tilted his head.

"Oh? How so?" Even though it was a simple (and obvious) question, Shin struggled to respond with words.

"I don't know, actually. Anyway, I didn't want to leave at first. I heard about the organization that kept stealing Pokémon from trainers, and even though that was a couple of years ago, I was terrified of the idea of someone taking Meganium away from me. But I was sitting in front of the lake in that forest, and something just told me to go, and how that's where I was needed, and that that's where it would be waiting for me."

"'It?" Mr. Klein wondered what he was referring to. Before Shin responded, he placed the cup of tea on a wooden tray and brought it to Dr. Klein's table. Dr. Klein seemed rather excited, and took his cup and blew on it, waiting for it to cool down.

"The Spirit of the Forest… Our Guardian…" Those few words finally provided some answers that Dr. Klein had about this young man.

"Ah…" Dr. Klein took his first sip and stared at Shin, his clothing, his accessories, and his words all made sense now. "You're a Messenger of the Forest." Rather than moving back to the counter, Shin sat down on the chair on the other side of Dr. Klein's seat, taking the opportunity to explain his history…

"My family was pretty devout as well. We never missed a mass at the forest and my little brother and I were told about the Voice of the Forest since we were little, and how our duty was not only to listen to that voice, but also inspire others to protect and help the Forest Guardian by taking care of the world, hence calling ourselves 'Messengers." Shin casually glanced at his necklace, which had always reminded him of the 10 years he had spent in the Johto Region.

"The past 10 years at Arborville Forest was practically a Pilgrimage for me. A very kind and wise old woman and her granddaughter took care of me, and we became very close. It certainly was sad to say Good Bye to them. But the dream I had couldn't keep me from staying there. I just felt the need to move on. I went to Arborville Forest with so many questions for the Guardian, and a lot of them were answered in so many different ways. But the dream told me that the rest of the questions would be answered in a forest somewhere here in Unova."

Dr. Klein was rather intrigued by his story. He didn't know very much about the Messengers and the words that came out of Shin were very educational. But he still had one factor that he couldn't help but point out…

"But still, you could have lived in a forest like you did for the past 10 years, and yet you decided to live in a big city." He sipped his tea again after the comment. Shin was definitely enjoying this conversation, and there was something about his tone of voice that clearly indicated how he was so eager to talk about that dream he had, but couldn't explain too much for disclosed reasons.

"Well, in that dream I had back in Arborville, I was transported to a different forest and I didn't want to go to the wrong one, but somehow I knew it was in Unova. Nonetheless, until I found it I wanted easy access to information." He looked out the window, noticing the clouds starting to cover the blue sky. The clock ticked for a few seconds before Shin continued with his response.

"Besides, it's not like Nimbasa City is outside of my comfort zone; after all I was actually born in a pretty big city…"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Viridian City / 11 Years Ago**

"Shin! It's time to go to Mass!" A middle-aged man with charcoal hair and brown eyes called from the bottom of the wooden stairs. "Your brother's ready to go!"

"Coming!" Shin buttoned up his collared mint green shirt as he hopped downstairs. He was obviously in a hurry as his father urged him to be, but that was when Shin's mother widened her eyes as she noticed Shin arriving towards herself and her husband.

"Oh, Shin! Don't button your shirt walking down the stairs! You're going to hurt yourself!" Shin's mother scolded rather urgently. However, by then Shin was done unbuttoning his shirt. Mother shook her head and lightly tapped Shin's head. Shin rubbed his birthmark under his left eye. Since he can remember, that was a habit of his that he was never able to get over. All of his friends wondered if it was a scar, and sometimes Shin wondered himself, but Mother insisted that it was there since he was born. Every time he looked in the mirror, he would curiously touch the mark, and since then it simply became a habit even without a mirror. His hair and eyes clearly indicate the inheritance from his Father.

Shin's Mother fixed her son's short smooth hair with her fingers, which Shin tried to mischievously resist. His mother pulled him closely and continued brushing it. Suddenly, a young boy, around six or seven years old appeared from behind Shin.

"WAAAA!"

"OH MY GO…!" Shin screamed and almost bumped his head on the wall. Their parents looked at each other and smiled as Shin and his little brother laughed and nudged each other.

"Every time! Every, single, time!" Haya points at his older brother and kept on laughing. Haya was relatively taller for his age and was right about the same height as his older brother.

Shin and Haya were typical hyper and wacky children inside the house, which was certainly a handful for their parents: Gou and Rin, but the proud parents wouldn't have it any other way. They loved their two sons.

"Alright kids!" Gou cleared his throat caught Shin and Haya's attention. "We don't want to be late!" He slid the door and walked outside, followed by his wife and children. His sharp eyes and mustache may make him look intimidating on the first impression, but he had a great smile. As Haya and Shin followed Rin, Gou waited for Shin to close the door shut, and walked out towards the big organized streets of Viridian City: where both Shin and Haya were born.

As the family walked down the streets as they have for almost a decade now, Shin and Haya chat about the amazing Grass, Insect, even Bird Pokémon that they saw when they were playing together inside Veridian Forest. But the conversation soon focused on the fact that they have yet to see the most important of them all: the Guardian of the Forest.

"Mom?" Haya shook Rin's hand profusely as they held hands down the walk. When Rin gave her attention to her second son, Haya asked something that definitely wasn't the first time he had asked. "Does the Guardian of the Forest really travel through time?" Rin smiles and squeezes Haya's hand tightly.

"Yes, sweetie." Mother replied softly. Unlike Shin or her husband, Mother had gray eyes, which were inherited by Haya. "It knows all about the past and the future, and we all pray for happiness, hoping that the future will be bright and beautiful."

Shin walked along, casually listening to Haya and Rin's conversation. Once again he rubbed under his left eye, reminding himself of the bitter times he has had to deal with because of the stupid birthmark. There was more than one occasion when Shin had to come home too the point where he even doubted his beliefs because of it, asking why the Guardian of the Forest couldn't make it disappear despite having healing powers. But the person that convinced him to accept his odd birthmark was actually his own brother, when he told him what he had learned in Mass: that all living creatures, including humans, were given life, and that each and every plant had its own flaws but still grow under the sun. When he heard it at Mass, Shin considered this message extremely cheesy and very similar to those from books he had read throughout his lifetime. Yet somehow, it was much more convincing when Haya told him the exact same thing. As a Messenger of the Forest, Shin always tried his best to take in what he was taught at Mass, but somehow his brother was so much better at taking it all in and implementing them in his life.

"Shin~?" Haya pulled on Shin's shirt to get his attention. "What are you going to pray for today? I'm gonna pray that someday I'm going to travel to the future and see what I'm like when I grow up!" Shin smiled and petted Haya on the head.

"That would be a lot of fun. Maybe I should pray so that I can go with you. I'm curious myself." Shin replied.

"I bet you're still gonna be scared when I jump out from behind the stairs!" Haya laughed and responded with a childish grin.

"Yeah, right. I guarantee you that I'll find a better way to scare you instead!" Shin and Haya nudged each other for the rest of their walk on their way to Viridian Forest.

Mass of the Messengers consisted of about a hundred citizens of Viridian City. Each of the Messengers sat down on the ground, while listening to the forest and all of the Pokémon that created it. The Messengers were all surrounded by a sort of Sage. His long silver hair flew as he turned around. Shin and his family had always appreciated the words of the Sage. None of them considered him as a preacher, but more as a storyteller. Even Haya enjoyed many of the "stories" and messages heard.

_Humans have always looked back into the past, and look forward into the future, we, as Messengers, are certainly no exception, particularly with the realization from hundreds of years ago that The Guardian of the Forest: Celebi can in fact, travel around time. Celebi looks after us and as long as we protect our promise to Celebi that we will create a beautiful world through the best of our abilities, Celebi will protect us, and ever living creature that was blessed with the gift of life._

_The first Messengers were injured in a forest like this one, when Celebi healed them and helped their injuries. They promised eternal gratitude for their own lives, and promised Celebi that they would contribute in helping it heal the forest. When Celebi left them and travelled into a different time, all of them heard the Voice of the Forest. They considered themselves as the Messengers of that Voice, so they can encourage each other to help Celebi with its cause as the Guardian of the Forest. Thousands of Pokémon live in the forest, and it is our duty to help Celebi to make sure they have clean water, and beautiful trees to live under. At the same time, we must all thank Celebi for healing us when we are in need, and for guiding us through the darkest parts of the forest…_

As the Messengers listened attentively, they all imagined their own vision of their Guardian. One of the biggest trees nearby had a carving of what certain Messengers considered what Celebi looked like, and that was the only visual hint that they were able to rely on. Famous Professors from around the world, including Professor Samuel Oak, who lived relatively close by, have claimed that Celebi is in fact still alive and is flying around somewhere in some forest, and that it has its friends that help it in need. The Messengers all interpreted Professor Oak's words as a surprising coincidence to what they truly believed in, and were convinced that they knew what he was talking about. Shin's parents were no exception. As for Shin himself, he was more interested in Professor Oak himself rather than what he claimed. When he heard Professor Oak talk about all of this on the radio it sounded so convincing and even real, as though he had actually encountered Celebi before, even Shin has always been told that that was hardly possible. But when someone like Professor Oak dedicates their life to studying Pokémon for years, Shin believed that perhaps amazing experiences have come on the way. In fact, that was exactly what he decided to pray for that day, to someday encounter Professor Oak and talk to him face to face.

As the Messengers remained silent in their prayers, the sounds of the forest hummed in Shin's ears. He was intrigued by all of the cries of the Pokémon, and reminded himself of the day he wished he had a friend of his own, just like his older friends that decided to travel around. He was only Nine Years Old, and had a few more months to go, but he wondered if he would go on one of these journeys as well. But all of these were only a handful of the many questions Shin had, whether they be for the future, Celebi, Professor Oak, or even life itself…

After their prayers, many of the Messengers sat up and walked back home, some of them conversing and some of them taking a glance at the beautiful forest, while others lined up to talk to the Sage for personal conversations. While Rin and Gou were talking to the Sage themselves, Shin and Haya were fooling around near the bushes. His parents wanted to stop them, but the Sage told them not to, and that Celebi would have enjoyed seeing children absorb what it protected.

"Wanna go back?" Haya asked Shin after playing around for a while, his charcoal hair shining in the sunlight hidden between the trees. Shin nodded and was about to follow his little brother, when he realized he had forgotten something.

"Oh wait! I forgot! I wanted to take a look at those plants over there." He points at a large bush filled with colorful leaves. Haya nodded and smiled at his older brother, telling him to catch up when he's done exploring. Shin looked at the bush for a while, wondering what these plants were. He wished he had brought his sketchbook or his father's camera so he could study them later. In the midst of his observation, Shin heard a small ruffle within those bushes. When he looked even more closely, he realized that the bush was clearly moving, and it was not the wind that was doing it. He looked towards where he heard the sound and saw the shaking, and reached over in curiosity…

"AH!" Shin quickly pulled his hand out of the bush as he felt a sharp pain in his hand. He looks at the bright red blood on his hands, finding out that the bush had rather sharp thorns and that they had had cut his palm. Shin heard yet another shuffle from within the bush…

Shin remained silent when the worst thought had occurred in his mind. He quickly walked closer to the bush and noticed that the worst thought was real: There was a Pokémon stuck inside, and considering how sharp the thorns were, it needed to come out of there immediately.

"Shin! What are you doing!?" Haya ran over towards Shin with his parents following him. "Come on Shin, let's go home!" Shin looked behind and asks his father with a quiet and shaky voice.

"Dad… do you still have that Pocket Knife we gave you for your Birthday?" By the end of the sentence, Shin's voice was raspy. Gou raised his eyebrow.

"Yes but… why?"

"I need it…" Shin responded quickly, almost interrupting Gou's response.

"What?"

"I NEED IT NOW!" Shin's eyes were red with tears, and he obviously had something more severe to care about than his own injury, despite droplets of blood falling onto the soil. "There's a Pokémon trapped in here. I need to get it out! You have that pocket knife right? Anything! Anything I can cut the bush with!" (The rest of crowd had already left. Had the family not had the conversation with the Sage after Mass and had Shin made the discovery earlier, they might have had somebody around them with the right equipment.)

Gou hesitantly took the knife out from his shirt pocket and opened the blade. Suddenly, Shin grabbed the knife from him and desperately tried to cut his way into the sharp bush.

"Shin!" Rin screamed. "Give your father back the knife before you hurt yourself!" She was followed by Gou who grabbed the knife back from his son. Haya was the only one that reacted as quickly as Shin did, and he dashed back towards the way back home.

His mother noticed Haya first. "Haya! Young Man, where do you think you're going!?" Haya stopped and turned his head around, screaming from quite a distance.

"To the Pokémon Center! They'll definitely know how to help it! I'm gonna go tell them!" Haya dashed and disappeared. Rin ran a few steps after her second son, but she was interrupted by her husband, who already seemed to be right beside Shin in his cause.

"Rin! We've taught him well how to get to the Pokémon Center! He'll be fine. We need to save whatever Pokémon it is! It's our duty!" Rin worriedly looked towards the direction in which Haya ran, but finally nodded and moved over to the bush.

"Shin…" Gou held his uninjured hand. "Don't panic. We can't hurt ourselves or we will make the situation worse. I'll cut the bushes." Shin couldn't say a word. He wiped the tears off of his eyes and nodded. He looked beneath the bush once more and finally noticed the large leaf that seemed to sprout out of its head. To make matters worse, its vine whips were tangled to the bush itself, possibly from the Pokémon's attempt to escape. As Shin patiently waited, Father took his pocketknife and cut the sharp branches on the bushes as though it were rope, one by one. Shin sobbed and moved back, where Rin kneeled down. Rin instinctively held Shin in his arms as he burst out crying.

"Don't worry… it's okay." Rin reassured Shin. Shin sniffed and looked back at his father. Gou was quite shocked to see that there was no inaccuracy in Shin's observation, and was reassured that Haya had made the right decision to go to the Pokémon Center beforehand. As Gou cut a few more branches, he finally noticed what Pokémon was stuck.

"…It's a Chikorita…" He sighed. As soon as he finished cutting to get enough space for him to take it out, Shin immediately let go of his Mother and carefully took the Chikorita out, cutting his hands and arms a few times once again. Shin holds Chikorita in his arms and checks its pulse, sighing in relief (while still being horribly afraid) to find out that at least it wasn't dead.

"Shin, you know how to get there don't you?" Gou asked before Shin nodded and ran towards the Pokémon Center with Chikorita in its arms. Droplets of their blood were dripping onto the ground, but that was the least of Shin's worries as he carefully clutched onto the Pokémon and ran.

Gou and his wife walked behind him. Despite the urgent situation the entire family was forced to deal with, they both had a sense of pride in how much their two sons have learned from their Guardian and the Voice of the Forest…

The Pokémon Center was rather crowded as usual. Viridian City was a major hub for Pokémon trainers and trainers getting treatment for Pokémon was not an unusual sight at all.

As conversations flow around among different trainers from around the Region, Haya leaned against Shin's shoulder with a worried look that almost looked like sobbing. Gou and Rin's parents caught up with them and were sitting right next to their sons. Despite the Chikorita being wild, the two brothers' heart couldn't stop aching at the sight of Chikorita's injury. It was one of the many moments when they wished Celebi was right their with them, blessing the poor Wild Pokémon with its ability to heal others. As though he wanted to get more mental support from his big brother, Haya closed his eyes and gently held Shin's hands, which was covered in bandages. Shin was given immediate help once they sent Chikorita to the Pokémon Center and explained their situation. Shin however, couldn't care less about the pulsing pain in his hands. He knew that the wild Chikorita had to deal with so much more than that. He felt a sharp pain though when Haya shook that hand. Shin groaned softly and Haya quickly flinched. Haya and Shin look at each other.

"Sorry… Are you okay?" Haya asked with his anxious shaky voice. He looked at his big brother's eyes very seriously. "I think we should pray. The Forest Spirit has the power to heal, right?" Shin nodded in return, giving Haya's hand a tiny squeeze.

"Yeah" Shin whispered in return. "…Let's pray…" The two boys put their hands together and closed their eyes. Rin watched her children and then moved her attention to her husband, urging him and herself to join in the cause. It wasn't only their children's concern, after all. The entire community had a duty to care for nature and listen to the Voice of the Forest whenever it was in need…

Even though it felt like an entire nighttime for Shin and Haya, it was an hour later that Nurse Joy opened the door with Chikorita in her arms. Shin and Haya widened their eyes and sat up, anxiously dashing towards the nurse and the Pokémon

Chikoritas were not frequently seen, but they certainly were endearing and precious. It certainly had an impact on Shin and Haya's sympathy. Chikorita's aroma was still evident and soothing. Even though the two boys hadn't focused on it, they certainly noticed it. Chikorita's eyes were shut tight and there bandages were hiding most of its light green body.

"Shhhh" Nurse Joy whispered. "It's resting now. But I think it will need some time outside of the forest for at least a couple of weeks, both to recover and to be safe." As Gou heard her comments, he immediately assumed what his two sons would say, and little to his surprise, he was right. It was Haya that had the courage to ask him first.

"Dad…. I think we should let it stay in the house…" His parents looked at each other. Even though Haya expected an immediate yes, Gou was clearly hesitant.

"Although… I do think it's best if it gets Professional help… What can we do?" His vision goes from his sons to Nurse Joy, wondering if what his sons requested was truly the best solution. Haya seemed downhearted, but Shin placed his hand on his shoulder and nodded (Gou actually did not expect this part of the response. Shin can be very stubborn and short-tempered at times).

"Alright." He said quietly, looking at Nurse Joy and back at his father. "I trust the Pokémon Center." Haya nervously pulled Shin's shirt. His eyes were getting watery and he sniffed a couple of times. Shin smiled at Haya and pet his head very gently.

"Don't worry. We can come and check on it every day." Haya thought for a moment, and finally nodded at Shin's words. Shin knew that his parents cared, and he was old enough to accept his father's best judgment….

From that day, Shin and Haya had a routine trip to the Pokémon Center right after breakfast. It was on the third day that the two boys went at a rather bad timing, being forced to see Chikorita squeak in pain as it felt the potion sting on its wounds. But more importantly, that moment was the first time they saw the Chikorita conscious. Neither Shin nor Haya had heard a Chikorita's cry before. This would have been an amazing opportunity for observation and fun if the poor Chikorita weren't injured.

They stayed for about a half an hour each day, and Nurse Joy told them the situation and her educated guesses, and on the fifth day, Chikorita had finally healed enough to be held by Shin and Haya. Shin was reminded of the time he first had a chance to hold his little brother as a baby. There was something about this Chikorita that brought out his instincts as a family…

Chikorita was asleep when Shin held it, but it opened its eyes after a few minutes, putting a smile of relief and sympathy on the two boys' faces. Chikorita curiously looked at the human boy that was holding him and gave it a small smile. Shin felt sensational warmth in his heart and arms. Nurse Joy was right there to witness it, smiling at the boy.

"I think it remembers you." Shin moved his attention to Joy with a bewildered expression. He didn't believe her words at first.

"But… it didn't see me."

"A Pokémon knows more than what another creature looks like. Chikorita was probably still conscious when you brought it here. It remembers how it felt when it was being held by you…" But that wasn't the end of it… Chikorita let out its frail cry and snuggled deeply in Shin's arms, which couldn't help but make Shin blush. Haya moved his eyes back and forth towards the Pokémon and his brother, feeling happy for both of them. Shin gently petted Chikorita's head with the back of his palm as he held it. The Chikorita smiled yet again. Shin looked up at Joy, his mind quickly moving to a different direction. However, Joy had already read his mind, and gave him a simple yet reassuring nod, followed by what answered whatever Shin was about to ask.

"It's fine now. You can take it home." Shin couldn't say anything, but in his mind, there was so much relief, happiness, and excitement. Haya nudged his older brother as though to congratulate him.

The next morning, Shin opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. But when he realized that it was morning, he quickly rose from his bed and looked out the sunny sky through the window. He rubbed his eyes and dashed out of bed. As he opened the door, Shin paused and looked behind, hoping his excitement didn't wake Haya up. Fortunately, he seemed sound asleep.

As he made sure his little brother was still asleep, Shin dashed down the stairs. It was extremely rare for him to come downstairs before Haya did. He turned at the hallway and moved over to the living room, where Chikorita was sleeping. Its tiny breaths were all Shin could hear at that point. Its wounds were still visible, but the treatment at the Pokémon Center definitely worked out.

Noticing a familiar scent nearby, Chikorita opened its big eyes and brought their attention to the little young human that it was happy to see. Chikorita let out another smile, which Shin replied with one of his own. Shin couldn't help but gently stroke Chikorita's head, which it seemed to calm it down even though it had just woken up.

After a while, Shin's smile faded away even though he continued to cradle it in his arms like a baby.

"I'm glad you're okay… If only I could keep you forever." Chikorita looked at Shin as he spoke. "I… I can't though. I'm not allowed to until I'm 10 years old." Chikorita gently fanned the leaf on its head, which made Shin smile just a little bit.

"Make sure you don't go near those bushes again, k?" he paused. "But don't worry, Celebi will protect you. You'll be fine…." He held Chikorita tightly and nuzzled him, its aroma tickling his nose.

"Thanks for remembering me. Thanks for letting me help you. When you get better, you'll have an amazing life back home." Chikorita let out a slightly more vigorous cry, which made Shin chuckle. He somehow had a feeling that they will meet again in the forest.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Nimbasa City / 11 Years Later**

Shin looked out the window and hoped Mr. Klein was able to get home before it started to pour. He lent him an umbrella just in case, but he didn't want him to go through trouble. He was a very kind gentleman, and wondered how nice it would have been if he were around him, particularly after his 10th Birthday.

All of the customers were gone and Mr. Tani had already finished his shift and left, making Shin the only individual in the shop. He sat down on one of the chairs until he heard thunder roar nearby. Shin quickly stood up and walked towards the window next to the counter, opened it and urged Meganium to move closer to the roof where it can stay dry. Meganium was enjoying the rain until it heard the thunder, which was clearly making the Herb Pokémon uneasy and slightly afraid. Meganium's smile returned though, when it noticed Shin and puts its attention towards him. It moved towards his trainer and lowered its neck, urging him to pet its own head. Shin chuckled and obliged, causing Meganium to murmur softly. His conversation with Mr. Klein reminded him of the wonderful memories he had with his partner, and considered all of them as a gifts from Celebi. The hourly bells of the Grandfather's Clock rang as Meganium and Shin shared their friendship through a window.

"My you've grown…" Shin whispered as he continued to stroke Meganium's head and neck. "Ah well, I had a long journey, and you've been there with me every second. I'm not too surprised." Meganium playfully nudged Shin with its head, causing Shin to react with a childlike innocent laughter.

But being with his trainer since Day 1 of his so-called "journey," Meganium knew that the beginning of his journey was also a tragic day that had turned Shin's life into a direction he didn't want to go to. Hence the Pokémon didn't want to look back into the past. There was so much to cherish right now, like this very moment of interaction.

Nonetheless, Meganium noticed Shin's quiet sobbing. Even though the droplets of rain from the roof were already hitting his cheeks, Meganium was able to distinguish them from Shin's tears. Meganium let a vine whip out from behind its petals to wipe the tears away. Shin smiled and laughed, thanking him for the act of kindness.

"You knew I was going to cry didn't you?" Shin asked Meganium. He looked into Meganium's sparkling eyes and poked its forehead before confessing.

"I cried just like this when I let you go. It was after you were completely healed and was safe to return to Viridian Forest. Haya and I were so happy for you, but it wasn't easy letting you go." He paused and sniffed before concluding his confession. "You have no idea how happy I am that we got reunited, particularly on that day." Meganium nodded sympathetically in response, knowing the whole story, it couldn't help but lean against Shin's chest so that Shin would have a Pokémon to hug.

Shin couldn't resist his partner's warmth and hugged him, holding its head tightly, so tightly that he felt Meganium's strong pulse through his arms: the same pulse that he felt in his severely scarred hands 11 years ago.

As Shin held onto his partner's head, he saw an image of himself holding onto the Chikorita in his arms, howling into the forest as he asked the Guardian of the Forest why his parents and Haya had to die.

_Messengers of the Forest?_

_Enough of this nonsense!_

_How dare you use Pokémon as a way to avoid defending yourselves!?_

_Humans are strong… You can fend for yourselves._

_And yet it's amazing how pathetically weak your minds are._

_You can't live without relying on Pokémon and believe that they would protect you._

_Your 'Guardian' does not deserve any of that._

_You are pathetic!_

N opened his eyes, trying to let the words that reminded him of his past fly away from his mind. He raised his head up to take a quick glance at the crowd that was waiting for the rain to stop inside the Nimbasa City Pokémon Center. But only after a few moments, N quickly hid his face with his cap so that he didn't have to cringe at the sight of injured Pokémon with their trainers (unfortunately, the rain had started falling right when he was walking past it, giving N no choice).

He looked at the cube puzzle that hung from his belt. He couldn't remember anything that he associated more with his entire life. He had it around his neck when he was little, and to this date, he used it in order to distract himself from any mess he was surrounded by.

_Is this yours?_

N tried his best to distract himself, but the voice he had been hearing for hours now kept ringing in his head, each of the words were different, and N just wanted it to leave him alone. He quickened his fingers on the puzzle as frustration brewed in his heart…

_I don't think I can ever do that!_

_Can…can you show m…_

"STOP IT!" The entire room looked at N as he stood up and shouted into air. He snapped out of it when he looked around and saw the glare, the whispers, and the pointing by the children. He slowly sat down and continued distracting himself with his puzzle.

The invisible barrier around N was always what rescued him from any emotions like embarrassment and humiliation. The click-clacks of the puzzle started to ask N an array of questions as though he was put on trial. He tried to answer each and every one of them, feeling like he was forced to.

"_Why are you afraid of humiliation?"_

"Because, Ghetsis humiliated me."

"_Are people still looking at you?"_

"They can look all they want for all I care."

"_Are you telling the truth?"_

"Why wouldn't I?"

"_Who are you?"_

"I am nothing more than a freak without a human heart…"

"_Did you have a bad dream?"_

"…Who are you? WHO ARE YOU!?"

N shouted a question of his own. He took his hat off and scratched his head profusely as he realized that the puzzle wasn't working as a distraction at all. N sighed, angrily tossing the puzzle aside and putting his hat back on.

"Are you staying here tonight?" That was exactly when N overheard a young trainer conversing with his friends.

"Probably… Even if it stopped, we won't have a good place to camp at… It won't dry out by night."

As the conversation ran into his ears, N looked up (as he wiped the tears off of his cheeks). He didn't know what was stopping him from asking if he could borrow a bed and stay at the Pokémon Center for the night. Usually his pride would get in the way and he would decline his own request. But somehow that day he accepted it without much hesitation. In fact, it felt like something very warm and memorable invited him over to the counter.

"Excuse me… um… May I borrow a bed tonight?"

N took his jacket and accessories off. He looked at himself in the mirror and grimaced at his plain look, which was too similar to his childhood appearance. There was certainly a time in his life when N despised his childhood self, but eventually he was encouraged to tell himself that he had done nothing wrong, that everything was okay. Naturally he struggled and argued with himself quite often. By the time the argument got out of control, N wasn't able to distinguish how he truly felt about himself.

N hadn't slept in a bed like this in a long time, and it was most likely because it reminded him of that room he was locked in with no exposure to the outside world. He couldn't imagine himself being like anybody else. He thought he had gotten over Ghetsis' cruel words, but it was strange how one statement can have large impacts on the heart.

"_He's nothing more than a freak without a human heart."_

N pulled up the sheets and closed his eyes…

N dreamt of a glass wall surrounding him. He could see the outside world, which caused rage and ambition at first, but slowly he felt a discomfort in his body. He couldn't breath. He wanted to get out of the glass walls. He asked for help, and he asked for forgiveness.

He was about to pass out, when suddenly he heard the glass around him shattering! Someone grabbed his wrist and pulled him out into safety. N gasped heavily for air as he followed whoever rescued him…

On his way, he noticed that the cube puzzle on his belt was gone. Instead, it was placed around his neck. N looked at his own hands and then into the reflection of the broken glass. He was his childhood self. Even though he was finally free and alive as a child, everyone that was outside the glass window was now gone… He was all alone, and by the time he noticed, the unnamed individual that gave N his freedom had disappeared as well.

When N looked around, he was imprisoned yet again, this time in a large room. He gave in to his own nightmare and fell down onto the floor in juvenile tears. As he cried for what seemed like forever, he heard a door slam open and someone getting into the room…

"_Oh my go… I am so sorry! I didn't think anybody would be here!"_

N yelled in response:

"…Why? WHY DIDN'T YOU STAY WITH ME!?"

N opened his eyes in the middle of the night and looked around for the young man he was with just a second ago. He was not there, and soon he realized that he had returned back to his current self, on the bed, at the Pokémon Center in Nimbasa City…

But he didn't attempt to fall asleep again that night. As he gathered all of his thoughts that had been slathered all across his mind, the scent of the forest from the vendor's booth returned to his mind. The scent of the forest and some sort of warmth that he had never felt before, and a certain someone that gave all of it were back in his memories.

At that moment, N knew exactly what, or whom, he was longing, and somehow he knew he was going down the right path…

The sun had already risen. The Pokémon Center was already open for Pokémon trainers that were done with their morning battles. N walked out through the large doors and once again got exposed to the sun. He rubbed his eyes and yawned widely. He wasn't even able to give himself time to cover his mouth like he usually did. He needed a quiet place to go to. He was too tired to think about the jumble that tortured his head a day before. He needed his mind off of things.

He walked for a half an hour and had looked around to see very little except for some small heartwarming houses and the flowers placed along the streets. N had absolutely no idea where he was or where he was walking to, but somehow everything felt right. As he gazed at the houses, N saw a particularly noticeable structure with a large garden attached to it. Something was telling him to walk over there. To N it almost felt like an invisible voice (absolutely nothing new at this point).

He stopped in front of the house and looked at the sign on the door – "CLOSED" He looked up at the big sign above the door and he couldn't believe that only a half hour ago, he was in a big city full of shops and restaurants, especially after seeing what he had landed to…

"_GREENHOUSE TEA"_

When he looked back at the door, he noticed that the sign was flipped to "OPEN" by a young man about his age.

N froze. He couldn't believe what he saw, and by the time Shin opened the door, N was already staring at him. Shin looked at the potential first guest and smiled, while N merely stared at him. He was right there, in front of him, after all of these years…

"Oh, Good Morning. Thanks for your patience! We just op..." Shin stopped in mid-sentence, seeming astonished and confused himself.

Just then, Shin and N both heard the bells of the clock telling the time. To N, the clock sounded like a lullaby that he had been longing for too long. The voice echoed inside his heart one last time…

"_Did you have a bad dream?"_

"Yes… Yes I did…. And I'm scared." N replied out loud. Despite the odd statement that came out of the blue, all Shin could do was glance at the boy that he thought he only met in a dream he had two months ago, even though something was clearly different.

As the two were reunited, Shin and N stared at each other, slightly anxious, and even afraid, but filled with a tremendous amount of joy somewhere deep down…


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**The Castle / 15 Years Ago**

N was curled up in his bed, clearly locked in a set of dreams that he wanted to escape. He had absolutely no luck though, and was tied up in rope and placed in the corner of a room, being forced to witness his friends being abused. The silhouettes of what N could only interpret as demons were all hurting those that he loved. He closed his eyes tightly, but some sort of curse would force them to open back up.

"P-please… stop…." N begged the silhouettes to stop, but wouldn't. In fact, every single time he pleaded, they seemed to accelerate their cause. "Please… don't…. Please….." He gritted onto his teeth as tears flew out. This was nothing but hell for N, His biggest fear never involved him being hurt himself, but instead was being forced to see others getting hurt. He would rather be killed than being forced to see all of this.

"Father… Somebody… Help me…. Help me….….."

N quickly opened his eyes woke up from the bed. He shuffled the sheets away from himself, noticing that he was no longer tied up. He didn't see any Pokémon in sight, nor was he imprisoned, but he was still alone. N felt himself shake, and sob. He coujldn't help but wonder if all of his friends were alright. Nobody else was there. None of his friends was present inside the rom. No human being was in sight, not even Anthea or Condordia. Yet something inside him wanted it to stay that way. He feared being with humans. Even though N was one himself, he couldn't help but fear them as he was practically forced do. He asked himself what he should do, now that he was released and free. He thought for a moment, realizing that there was absolutely nothing he could do. He was powerless, and frail without any sense of security except inside his room and around his father and his servants and the two girls.

As N hid his own face in his sheets and sobbed tears of fear, loneliness, and humiliation, he heard a huge "BANG" that almost sounded like a gunshot. At that point, N had assumed that he was still in his nightmare and had never woken up from it. He begged to his heart that it wouldn't be yet another silhouette. As he slowly opened his eyes and exposed himself from the sheets he was hiding in, he noticed a human that he had never seen before in his life, let alone in his room.

What was this human doing here…? Even though N knew nobody outside the castle, his long hair, and the red mark under his eyes made him feel foreign and mysterious. He stared at the stranger, wondering what he wanted. That was when their eyes met and the human being much older than him widened his eyes.

"Oh my Go… I am so sorry! I didn't think anybody would be here…"

**Nimbasa City / 15 Years Later**

Silent music whispered in the quiet teahouse as N was sitting on one of the chairs and looking around as Shin stood behind the counter, preparing the first pot of tea for the day. N's eyes finally landed towards Shin's back. He seemed to be nearly finished and was pouring the hot tea into an articulately painted cup. No conversation was there for now, and neither of them knew what to say, both with their respective memories and perceptions of where they met for the first time. Shin placed the cup of tea on a wooden tray and carried it over to N's seat, and places the cup on top of the table.

"Careful… it's hot." As Shin warned him about the tea, N looked at him and smiled back for one second, curiously looking at the colors of the cup and tea, noticing steaming flowing out of it.

Right before he would take his first sip, there was a knock on the window. Both Shin and N moved their heads toward the sound of the knock. Shin smiled as Meganium woke up for the morning. But before he could go over to his partner, he noticed N walking over to the window and opening it before he was able to get to it. Without saying a word, N smiled like a child and started to pat its head. Bewildered at first, Meganiumstared at the mysterious young man with a cautious look, slightly moving away from N's hand approaching towards him.

"Shhh… Nothing to worry about." Considering how N hadn't said a single word since his response to Shin in front of the teahouse, it certainly caused a surprise for Shin, let alone the fact that he and his partner seemed to get along quite well. Meganium gazed at N's blue eyes and kind welcoming smile. N's hand soothed his emotions as well. After being magically invited into his world, Meganium finally smiled at N. Meganium closed his eyes and loosened up before he raised his neck and moved his attention back to Shin. N paused his patting as he noticed Meganium's focus shifting away from him, taking a glance at Shin.

"Ah…Sorry for interrupting. You wanted to tell him something?" N looked at Meganium and pointed at Shin. To Shin's surprise, Meganium responded with a nod. When he came back to his senses after feeling puzzled and curious at the same time, Shin blinked and walked over to his partner.

From the smile that the Meganium gave to the human beside it, N realized that it was obvious that he was somebody he could trust, but as he noticed the large herbal garden outside the teahouse that seemed to big for one Pokémon to handle, N was slightly concerned.

"Do you use Meganium to help the teahouse and those gardens?" As N questioned him, Shin moved his eyes towards N (it took a while for him to realize that the young one was talking to him) and let out a tiny gasp.

"Oh no! I don't _use_ him at all. He begs me to let him help me and the Proprietor. Once I was picking out the herbs as a chore. He was taking a nap beside the gardens until he came over and chose out the best herbs. He loves doing it. Sometimes he gets ahead of himself, actually. He chooses before I can even decide." Without the slightest of changes in facial expression, N listened to Shin and looked out the window.

"So, Meganium chose himself?" He petted Meganium's head once again, as he pondered his thoughts out loud... "I always wondered how Grass Pokémon perceived nature and the environment. Meganium for example: an herb Pokémon. I always thought a Meganium would consider herbs as an equivalent of itself, but obviously that's not the case, if like him right here, all Meganiums have the ability to pick and choose by identifying which ones would be 'the best.' Why would any living object on the planet except humans be selective about their own kind? But looking back at their ability to use their knowledge and senses to select them in a way that humans never can, something is clearly different from how humans see herbs, and most likely everything else that grows from the ground. In fact, I be…. " N paused. He walked over to the nearest chair and sat down. "I apologize, I always start thinking and I have a hard time controlling myself." Shin didn't respond though. He skipped his way towards the closest chair to N and sat down, the young man's analysis causing a tremendous amount of excitement for the Grass Pokémon trainer.

"That… That was amazing! It's something we all look into very deeply, actually. You obviously had an observational perspective though. We always considered it to be what nature gave us, but you we could only know so much being surrounded by Grass Pokémon. You had a completely different perspective!" Despite the awkwardness and confusion from earlier, Shin started to get excited about getting to know him, even though perhaps it was also something deep down that made him want to be friends with him.

"My name's Shin! I used to live in a forest and I came here only two months ago. It's just amazing to see somebody think about those things here in Nimbasa City, especially in my generation." N did not expect that sort of reaction. Usually others would look at him and have no idea what he would be talking about. Nonetheless, he smiled in return and offered a handshake.

"My name's N." As he shook Shin's hand, N's smile faded away. The warmth of his hand just seemed all too familiar, and he was getting more and more ideas about how he landed here and why he felt like he had met Shin before, but there was no definitive answer in his mind. Shin seemed concerned and slowly decided to let go of N's hand.

"Is everything alright? Something bothering you again (Shin quickly asked himself where the word 'again' came from)?" N shook his head.

"No it's just… you." he paused and looked up and down at Shin's eccentric appearance. "You, you look familiar." After hearing N's confession, Shin finally concluded to himself that the event that occurred two months ago was not a dream at all, and that the reason he came here was not influenced not only by gut instinct, but also something that triggered him from experience.

"I just can't remember where I know you from. And yet it feels like, I missed you for a long time. I never feel that way towards humans. I know for a fact that I've never met that Meganium. But you… I know." N continued with his confession, and somehow all of it made sense to Shin. A picture of the young boy with big teary blue eyes came faded back into Shin's mind. He didn't know how to explain where they had met. He didn't know if N would even believe him. As N moved his attention back again to Meganium, he stared at his smile and laughter as Meganium gave him a little lick on his cheek. There was something paternal in his light brown eyes as he witnessed all of it. The last time N and Shin met each other was the most surreal and unlikely experience that he had ever experienced, but to find out that it wasn't a dream made Shin ecstatic. Meganium smiled at N once again and moved back towards the garden to wake up his other teammates. N shook his head and smiled back at Shin.

"It's great to get to know you. You seem to be very respectful to Grass Pokémon, and Meganium seems happy to be with you." Shin chuckled to N's comment.

"If he weren't, I'd be very worried. He was with me ever since he was a Chikorita."

"Well, I believe you, because Meganium told me that he wants to protect you from any harm, and he really meant it." As N commented on what Meganium had "said," Shin was amazed, but also bewildered at the same time.

"…You know what Meganium is saying?" N nodded in response, but didn't explain himself. Somehow he felt like he was holding something in, and that if he kept explaining his communication and experience with the Pokémon he has seen and been with, he would burst into tears… In fact, N was amazed at how he was able to maintain his smile when he was with Shin. Meganium was probably a big help for this, but he knew that the Herb Pokémon wasn't the entire reason, because Meganium also made him feel sympathetic and melancholic. Something seemed so special in the way the Pokémon looked at his partner. At this point, seeing a Pokémon bond so much with a human aside from himself wasn't exactly new, but he knew something was different; He felt like he had so much in common with Meganium. He looked at Shin, noticing his long charcoal hair and rather significant mark under his eye. All of it just seemed so familiar, and once again, something inside of him simply wanted to jump into the young man's arms and be comforted for a while. He tried to let those thoughts out of his head though, distracting himself with what he saw in Meganium's eyes and felt in his heart.

"Meganium wants to protect you for a reason." N finally continued with his gentle airy voice. "I've seen Pokémon like this; they are happy with the present and are enjoying everything around them, but only because they had to go through something they don't want to remember in the past." As he paid close attention to the commentary, Shin widened his eyes and took his smile away. It seemed like if N continued, he would more out of Meganium than necessary, which wasn't exactly what Shin wanted. He quickly glanced at Meganium as he smiled towards his trainer. Shin smiled back but quickly closed the window. N was puzzled at his abruptness.

"What was that?" Shin shrugged to N's question, not knowing what to say.

"I guess I'm just amazed by all of this. Everything you said makes so much sense." As he casually glanced at N's attire (which was eccentric in its own way, despite N's perception of what Shin was wearing), he noticed the cube puzzle hanging from his belt loop and felt yet another rush of loving warmth inside. "What you said was very interesting, because sometimes I wonder if I'm being the perfect trainer for Meganium and the rest of my team." N responded rather quickly without much thought.

"I don't think you have to worry. You seem to be fulfilling his happiness. In fact it seemed like he felt like he owes you his life, which is surprising to me quite frankly. I never imagined that Pokémon would ever feel that way." Shin couldn't help but let out a sigh as he nodded, reaching over to the music player and pausing the background tune that was more distracting than soothing at that point.

"Well, you seem to be very bright, and if I were to believe you and convince myself that Meganium is actually telling you what you just told me, that would mean the world to me."

"What happened?" N asked. Shin looked up at N and widened his eyes again at the question that came out without any hesitation. N was simply interested because he wanted to know what had happened to Meganium, but as far as how Shin felt, it was a big risk to take. Yet as he stared at his cube puzzle and reminded himself of trying to N feel better back when he was little, something said that he could trust N. In fact, if there were one person he could tell all of this to, it would be him.

"What happened to Meganium?" He repeated, looking out the window and noticing Meganium getting warmth from the sunlight. Shin didn't know where he should start, and he let his heart do the talking.

"He was there for me… He was the only one, and I felt like I was abandoned by everything, even the Guardian of the Forest. Meganium… Chikorita just showed up, and I held him, and I screamed." Shin took a deep breath and decided to tell N the whole story: the story about Day One of the long journey that seemed to have no end even at that point.

"N, do you know about the Fire that happened at Viridian Forest 10 years ago?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Viridian City Pokémon Center / 10 Years Ago**

10 year-old Shin stared at the window. The sky was blue. The clouds were moving slowly but surely. The trees were ruffled by the wind. Chikorita was warm and he could feel him move in his arms and lap, and yet he himself felt motionless. Shin hadn't lost any of his senses, but it seemed like his ability to capture and garner any emotion had vanished.

Chikorita looked up at Shin and leaned against his chest, hoping that someday he could help his old friend in some way. Shin's consistent and slow breaths were hitting Chikorita's head as he wondered what was going through Shin's head after such an unexpected and unwanted event.

Behind the entrance to the room that Shin was staying at after the incident, Nurse Joy looked at him, not being able to say a word or even provide him anything. To Joy, Shin simply looked pale and almost as though he were in a coma with his eyes wide open and sitting down on a chair. She wiped the tears off of her cheeks and walked into the room, not knowing what to say. She noticed that the Chikorita had woken up since the last time she saw him beside his human friend.

"I'm glad Chikorita had survived… Especially after how much you cared for him." Shin blinked and looked up at Nurse Joy and then down at Chikorita. Oddly enough, Shin couldn't help but ask himself a question he should know the answer to: why Chikorita was here, especially after he had let him go a year ago.

A year ago…

A year ago, a month ago, even the day before, Shin had a family. He had a house that he would feel happy and warm in. He had guidance, and he had a little brother to protect. If this was some sort of joke, it wasn't funny at all. He looked around to see if everything was real. He was in one of the beds at the Pokémon Center, with Nurse Joy and Chikorita beside him. Everything seemed real, for better or worse. By the time Shin was rescued out of the forest with Chikorita in his arms, the other Messengers that knew him thought he would need to be supervised. After all, Shin was hardly able to move. He even had a hard time standing up. Shin could have been sent home to his house, but the Messengers and Nurse Joy decided that he should instead be sent over here, where he won't have to look directly into the past, and where he would have individuals that knew him well would look after him.

Shin looked at Chikorita and reminded himself of what had happened recently, even though all he could remember significantly was seeing himself sit down in the middle of the forest and howling into the sky, asking the Guardian for an answer that was never given…

**Viridian Forest / 1 Day Ago**

"Shin? Shin~?" Haya pulled onto Shin's shirt even though his older brother was too distracted by his own thoughts. Shin let the cries of the Pokémon in the forest surround him and thought about all of the memories he has had here in the past 10 years. After turning a decade old, he couldn't help but realize that this place was practically his second home. Many of his adventures took place here, and he had learned so much from his father, the Sage, and the forest. He was glad he was able to come here for his birthday. Out of all of the memories looked back into, there was one that stood out, and it wasn't too long ago.

He had to say Good-Bye to a new friend, and wasn't able to be reunited with him. Nonetheless, throughout the past year, he would come to the forest and see if there was any sign of the Chikorita that he and his brother released a year ago after its severe injuries were cured.

"Shin, are you ok?" Shin opened his eyes and finally gave his attention to Haya. Haya was glad to get his big brother's attention after many attempts. He smiled and without any warning gave Shin a hug. Shin blushed and hugged back.

"Don't be mad at me, Shin." Haya whispered. Haya raised an eyebrow and asked him why he would make such a request. Haya confessed that even though he supported his brother and his thoughts of being a Pokémon trainer, he was sad that things would be different if he did.

"Hey~ It's not like I'm going anywhere. I just turned 10 is all." Shin chuckled and ruffled Haya's hair as he made sure that he knew that that meant.

"Are you going on a journey? You can go now since you're 10, and I just thought I would miss you if you did." Shin smiled and lowered himself to Haya's height, looking carefully at his eyes.

"I don't know yet, Haya. But I'm not going to lie, I would love to see forests all over the world and encounter all of the Pokémon there; from the depths of this forest to the ones in places like… Unova. It would cert-"

"UNOVA!?" Haya interrupted Shin's confession with a clear shock. "That's so far away! You're going there all by yourself?" Shin gently touched his little brother's cheek and gave it a little rub. He was undeniably happy that he was finally at the age of being able to train Pokémon of his own and go on voyages to discover new Pokémon, but he himself knew how much he was going to miss all that he had right now.

"Shhh… It's okay. Maybe when you turn 10, you can come over and join me." Shin winked and chuckled. Shin's smile faded away. "But in all seriousness, I honestly don't know yet. I don't have a Pokémon of my own yet, and there are so many things I want to do over here in Kanto. Like, talk to Professor Oak over in Palette Town." Haya listened to his older brother attentively. There were some aspects in his response that Haya didn't exactly understand, but he was certainly idolizing his older brother at that point. Shin wanted to continue, but that was when he heard his mother's voice.

"Shin! Haya! Come on~! Let us be a part of your conversation!" Shin and Haya heard their mother scream over from somewhat of a distance. The two brothers looked at each other and ran over to the picnic that was taking place to celebrate Shin's birthday.

Shin looked at the sky and smiled as he took another bite of cake that his mother had made from scratch. Every child's 10th birthday was special in the Kanto Region, and even though his parents had suggested different occasions, Shin insisted that they would come to this forest. No other place made him feel more alive.

"Shin, you haven't even opened your birthday gift." Rin got her son's attention. As Gou and Rin watched, Haya excitedly took the gift out of the bag. Shin smiled at the scene even before he was able to see what he would be getting. Haya seemed so excited, and he could tell that he was the one that picked it out. The small box was wrapped beautifully in leaves and flower petals that Shin was familiar with.

"Wow… I don't even want to open it. This is s…" As Shin complimented the wrapping paper, Haya interrupted and started to jump on the picnic mat while sitting.

"Open it! Open it!" Haya insisted as Shin looked at the box…

_The Guardian of the Forest gives life to the forest and travels through time._

_Celebi had its friends, and so did we._

As Shin unwrapped the box, he felt a hotter wind in the air. It felt like a warm fireplace in the winter, which was clearly out of place. Gou looked around and Rin held onto her husband's arm. The two parents felt something chill down their spines. Shin was disappointed that the moment was interrupted, but he couldn't help but notice the irregular heat.

The smiles were completely gone by then, and after a few moments, Shin and his family noticed the odor of smoke. Even though Haya was the last to notice any of it, he was the most curious, and was the first to stand up and run over to see what was going on.

"Haya!" His older brother instantly and urgently grabbed onto his small and frail wrist and stopped him from moving anywhere. Haya sat back down on the picnic mat and moved towards Rin, holding her tightly in fear. That was when the fog began to appear and burn Shin's eyes. The confused 10 year old was consumed by fear, and instinctively followed Haya into Rin's arms. There was no room in Shin's mind to even think about the embarrassment of holding onto his mother right as he turned 10 years old. It was hardly relevant at that point.

"Mother… I think… I think we should leave…right now." Words came out of Shin's mouth in a shaky whisper. Feeling responsible to see what was going on, Gou stood up and moved towards the fog. His wife and two sons were rather shocked.

"Gou!?" Rin screamed at her husband's back. Even though there was no discussion or even the transition of thought, by then four knew that it wasn't fog, but rather, smoke…

"Father… Fath… Where are you going?" Shin noticed his father heading towards the smoke. His grasp almost caught his father's, but Gou went out of his reach and moved towards the fog. "Father? Father… don't go! Come back, please!" Shin screamed and Rin was right about to stand up.

That was when Shin heard the explosion…

When Shin gained back consciousness after he fainted in shock of the sound, fire was surrounding him. The cake, the gift that Shin never got to open, were burning. But more importantly, Shin was shocked to see that he was all alone, Rin and Haya no longer in his sight. He stood up and tried to run, but his legs were numb. The trees were burning. Shin could hear the Pokémon crying for help while the smoke and flaming sounds cover them up.

Even after a decade, Shin still can't help but ask what had happened while he fainted. All he could remember was what everything right before the explosion of flames. His father had kept his faith true, and put himself in danger to support the Guardian of the Forest. His mother Rin and little brother Haya were sacrificed into the flames, and Shin was never able to find out when it had all happened.

Shin's brief unconsciousness caused a blank moment in his life that was entirely cut out. All Shin could remember then was his escape from the fire. The smoke blinded him and his path towards home. A severe unbearable pain struck Shin's eyes and he fell onto the ground, wondering if he was going to die as well.

"….Chi…chiko…."

Shin heard the familiar raspy cry and opened his eyes to discover the Pokémon right in his reach. He knew it was the Chikorita that he missed so much. Somehow he was the only one in the world at that moment that he knew. Everything else was gone. Chikorita coughed profusely as Shin took all of the strength he had and reached over to him. Chikorita managed to move closely to Shin's arms, and he looked at the familiar face in surprise, having no idea what was going on. All he knew was that he was being held onto very tightly by his old friend…

Somehow, holding Chikorita gave Shin the ability to sit up, even though he couldn't stand up. Their eyes faced the fire as did Shin's whole body, but his heart and mind were invisible. Shin was pale and frozen despite the heat all around that was burning the forest.

"C…Celebi… Where are you? Help me… Help us… Help everyone…"

Shin was alive, as was Chikorita. But for a boy that had just turned 10, that was not enough. The thought of profuse confusion ran around his mind when he realized that The Guardian of the Forest wasn't able to protect his family, let alone the entire forest. Every single moment of the messages he had learned, the words of the Sage, and the stories he had been told all came back to Shin's mind, but it was the senses of doubt, despair, and rage that took all of it away from his heart.

By the time Shin came back to his senses, he was still on the ground, staring into the fire in painful tears. Chikorita looked at Shin, mortified by Shin's look of shock. He could feel a shiver from Shin's arms.

It was not a moment later that Shin screamed into the sky with all of the strength he had left. To Chikorita and the rangers that witnessed his scream, it almost sounded like a Houndoom howling into the moon…

**Viridian City Pokémon Center / 1 Day Later**

Chikorita had fallen asleep after feeling mutual stress with the human friend he was reunited with. But he opened his eyes and blinked as he felt a warm drop of water fall on its leaf, and another, and then another.

Shin grit his teeth and cried, but after crying for almost an entire day, the tears wouldn't fall out as easily as they did earlier. Subconsciously, Shin had to think of an alternative to let his indescribable emotion out. Shin's eyes met with Chikorita's as he looked down at him. For the first time since he was rescued from the forest and sent to the Pokémon Center, he spoke, but his voice was practically a whisper.

"Chikorita….." Shin held Chikorita tightly, trying hard not to burst into another scream of tears. "Why didn't the Forest Guardian… why didn't Celebi save Father, and Mother, and Haya, and the forest?"

Chikorita tilted his head in confusion. But Shin didn't know why that came into his mind himself. Nonetheless, one of the thousands of emotions he felt at that moment was the feeling of betrayal. Shin remembered his father's words.

_There is always a time when you will doubt, and wonder, which is something we must all treasure, because in the end we think for ourselves, and the Guardian shows us the path._

"THERE IS NO PATH!" Shin looked at the window and screamed, which caused a commotion over to the Pokémon Center main hall, not to mention the tremendous amount of shock Chikorita felt as he heard the unexpected gesture. "IT WAS ALL A LIE… NONE OF IT WAS TRUE! WHY DID EVERYONE LIE TO ME!? WHY DID THEY TELL ME THAT WE WOULD BE PROTECTED!?" Shin threw his pillow and sheets across the room. By then, Chikorita was gone from his arms, and Shin hardly saw anything through his eyes except fire and smoke. The next thing Shin remembered were his arms losing any sort of freedom and his inability to move.

Shin opened his eyes to see Nurse Joy clutching onto his wrists. He left the room and ran into the Main Hall. Everyone was looking at him. He saw stares, and heard whispers. Shin wanted to run away, but he was imprisoned. Nobody was there, not even the Guardian. He had lost all he had, even his ability to move around and run away. That was the moment when Shin had come to his senses. Buried in his doubts, his anger, and the red and orange flames, was the realization that his family was killed in the fire, and that he was left alone with nothing to trust whatsoever.

Shin closed his eyes and looked down, not wanting to see any of the stares. Everyone knew who he was. Everyone in the city was talking about the fire and the survival of Shin. He expected a yell from Nurse Joy, but that never happened. Joy was stuck herself, having absolutely no idea of how he could let this child stay in this situation. She thought Chikorita's presence would help, and that he should be brought back to Shin once his wounds were healed. But perhaps it may have worsened the situation.

Joy finally lets go of Shin, knowing that he would slowly walk back to his bed and pretend that nothing had happened. She looked down to see a worried Chikorita stare at Shin moving back into his room. He had run away from Shin as he screamed into air, but he knew that none of it was coming from sanity. Chikorita started to float in the air, and looked behind him to see Nurse Joy pick him up.

"We should give him some time… I'm glad you were okay." Chikorita merely looked down and moved his attention back to Shin, feeling a tremendous amount of guilt for his inability to help the human child that he owed his life to…

Shin woke up noticing that it was already nighttime, even though the lights in the Pokémon Center seemed to be on. He clutched onto air as he sat up, realizing that Chikorita wasn't there. He looked around until he finally concluded that he was gone.

Contrary to Nurse Joy's assumption, Chikorita was helping Shin quite a bit, and now that he was alone, all he could do was lie down and look at the ceiling. He thought of all of the messages and preaching from the sage, and the carved artwork of the legendary Celebi, which was probably already burnt down as well. He pondered about how wonderful all of it was until he had realized that none of it was true, and that when he was in real need, not only was the Guardian not there, but was not able to save the forest. There was only one explanation to all of it. Celebi is a legendary Pokémon, and is merely a legend. Nobody truly knew if Celebi existed. None of the other Messangers, not even the Sage had seen Celebi with their own eyes. He no longer had any sense of direction at that point. He was left alone in the midst of fire…

"Chiko…?" Shin sat up and looked around, noticing Chikorita at the door and worriedly staring at him. For the first time since the fire, Shin felt relief.

"…You're back…" As he looked towards the door, Chikorita was followed by Nurse Joy as well as another individual whom he had never met before, but was somehow familiar with. Without any hesitation, the older gentleman in a white lab coat walked over to his bed.

"You must be Shin." Shin widened his eyes and nodded, trying to remember who this man was. The gentleman continued on. "I need to talk to you..." Shin wondered what he could possibly want from him, and was even more confused when the he introduced himself.

"My name is Oak, Professor Samuel Oak…"


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Pinwheel Forest / 7 Years Later**

N stared at the young Messenger who looked like he was in his pre-teen ages. Beside him was an Oddish that stood close to the young boy. Both the boy and Oddish were looking at N with a clear glance of confusion. N's attention moved to the Oddish and he gave it a smile.

"You don't live in the forest anymore, do you? You live with this boy." N then looks at the boy, who was intimidated by his icy blue eyes. On the other hand, Oddish felt warmth and kindness in them, as though his eyes interchanged depending on what he was putting his attention to. "You miss living in the forest, though. I can tell. You were captured by this boy here in this forest…" the young boy interrupted, frustrated with N's words.

"He was hurt when I found her! Dad and Mom and the Sage told me that it was my duty to help her!" N's attention moved back to the boy.

"By keeping Oddish to yourself, you thought that was the best solution to save the Pokémon?" Even though it took a while, the young boy gave N a very slow nod. "When you could have healed it with potion or temporary care, you decided to catch him instead. Why is that?" The boy looked at N in silence, trying to think of the best response based on what he has been taught as a young Messenger. But before he could respond, N continued. "It is because you wanted to possess Oddish. You are just like any human being." N stood up and fixed his hat as he started to walk away from the boy and his Oddish. The boy shouted at N as he walked away, trying to argue with what he was just told…

"Sir, I did what I believed was right, and I have no regrets. Oddish and I are good friends!" N stopped walking and stood there.

"Oddish may like you, but you can't deny that you decided to keep her away from the forest against her will." N walked back towards the boy and kneeled down to his height. Feeling a sense of affection, Oddish moved closer to N, but the boy stopped the Pokémon from moving any closer to him, and placed her behind himself. "Young man, you are a smart cookie. Since you seem to be well-educated buy the adults around you, I want you to listen to me…." As though he were hypnotized, the boy nodded in agreement before listening to whatever N was about to tell him.

"What you've been taught are all lies. Think about all of the damage humans do to the forest, but then you decide to call yourselves 'Messengers' and call Celebi, a legendary Pokémon, the Guardian of the Forest and pretend that you are all doing the right thing by getting in between Pokémon and nature, when none of it is necessary. In spite of you keeping Oddish to yourself, I'm glad you visit the forest with her from time to time. But the next time you do it, I want you to consider this: where Oddish comes from, and what Oddish wants."

Oddish peeked from behind the boy, and looked at N in awe. N smiled at Oddish and started to pet its head before standing up and leaving the forest. He heard absolutely no response from the boy, knowing that the boy was innocent and it wasn't too late for him to realize what he had been forced into. Keeping his back facing the boy, he preached one last time.

"Celebi doesn't need Messengers. Celebi is indeed, a Legendary Guardian of the Forest, but Celebi is also part of nature itself, as is that Oddish, and all of the Pokémon that live, or used to live in this forest before they were captured by you and your family. Humans can't be Messengers of the Forest. Humans are only Messengers of Humans. None of you truly know what Celebi's true message is, and frankly, you never will…"

As N walked away, the boy stared into air, having no idea how to respond to any of it. The Oddish looked at her frozen trainer and wanders around the forest, her heart filled with excitement that she was able to play in the forest once again…

As N kept walking, he murmured to himself.

"Messengers of the Forest… How pathetic. Someday they'll realize how pathetically wrong they are. Someday…"

**Nimbasa City / 3 Years Later**

As serene Oriental music from Kanto played in the background, Shin and N faced each other. Every time their eyes met, N would notice Shin's hazel eyes reflecting the lights with a rather confusing and twisted feeling in his heart. He was happy and comforted, but wasn't feeling the least bit joyful or excited. He was sad, and for some strange reason, even though he was right in front of him, Shin felt so far away.

Shin would always smile back at N when their eyes met. He would offer him more cups of tea from time to time, and even if N turned them down, Shin nodded and responded with an 'Okay.' While N was consumed by confusion, Shin seemed so gleeful, and yet to N, his smile was somehow paternal and sympathetic.

Shin could still remember N's tears, combined with his memories of holding a human being so tightly for the first time in 10 years. Shin glanced at N's attire. His beautiful blue eyes, his textured light green hair, and even his hands were all so familiar, even though they weren't identical to what he had seen two months ago. He wondered if this was how his late Father felt each time his little brother vigorously dashed downstairs on his birthday or a holiday filled with gifts…

N looked at his empty teacup and finally decided to accept Shin's repeated offer. He tried to hold on the handle of the teapot, when Shin got a hand on it earlier and poured the tea into N's cup. The color of the tea seemed almost identical to Shin's eyes… His attention moved back to Shin when he started to educate N with his experience and knowledge.

"These leaves are from Viridian Forest, actually. The one I told you about earlier." Shin continued, realizing at that moment that he had never returned to Viridian Forest since he left for Johto. "Fortunately, after 10 years the forest is almost fully recovered, and Pokémon are living there happily again. An old family friend sent me a letter and told me all of this. He also sent me some pictures, and colored cutouts from magazines. The forest looked so beautiful, as though nothing had happened. I remembered the healing powers that the Forest Guardian had, and all of us knew that it was the source of this recovery. When I saw those pictures I remembered how much I regretted questioning the Guardian of the Forest, especially after I actually got to…"

"…The Guardian of the Forest…" N widened his eyes and whispered, cutting Shin off (even though he didn't seem to mind at all). "….Celebi?" N looked into Shin's eyes. Shin looked rather surprised and even content.

"Y…yes! Do you know about us? Yeah, I forgot to tell you… I'm actually a Messenger of the Forest. I found out there are quite a few of us here in Unova too, and I was glad we all had the same cause." As his response went into his ears, something invisible struck N's chest.

"I heard that the Messangers over here had a pretty big argument with Team Plasma though, I think that was a few years ago. I wasn't here when they were around, but I heard about the horrible things they did to us."

N tried his best to hide the dogma and turmoil in his mind. His left hand reached towards the cube puzzle dangling from his belt loop and he started to play with it, the sound of the puzzle covering up the music in the background…

"Anyway, enough about me. What was I saying…?"" Shin paused. "Oh, right! Viridian Forest progressively recovered, but that was when I moved to the Johto Region… I left Johto two months ago because… well, because it was a gut-feeling." Shin started to notice how distracted N was, his smile slowly turning into an emotionless expression. He paused again, until the clacking of the puzzle stopped on N's lap. "….Even though it was only two months ago, it seems longer. After all…" Shin paused his sentence. This time, he noticed N's sad look that he was too familiar with. His smile completely faded away.

"Are you okay? Shin stared at N and his puzzle. N didn't respond, in fact it seemed like the entire world was invisible to him. Shin suddenly started to ask himself questions he never thought about…

What happened in the past 15 years? How did he live? Was he locked in that room of his even after their encounter? The last time he saw N, he was locked in that room filled with intelligent-looking toys and games with absolutely no windows. He never expected to see him again, here at that moment, and hence was finally able to wonder about N's life then and there.

"N… If you have anything to say, you can tell me, okay?" Shin insisted that he was by his side. N placed the puzzle on his lap and finally looked at Shin, noticing his sad yet sympathetic look. As N's mind started focusing on this young man who was about the same age as N and yet felt like a Big Brother to him, his eyes were getting watery.

"Shin…?" N finally opened his mouth. Shin tilted his head and wondered what N was about to say.

"Hmm?"

"…Who are you?" Shin seemed puzzled as he realized how serious N was. If he had any knowledge about how significant the encounter was for N even up to this date, Shin would have been able to answer the question much better.

"Um… Well… I don't know if there's anything I didn't explain yet…" Shin paused. "Except… I guess I could talk about my life as a Pokémon Trainer, with Meganium as my partner, and the experiences I had…"

_I won't hurt you… I promise…_

The voice that tortured N's mind came back. Shin looked more and more concerned about N. Was it something he said? He didn't want to break his promise…

"Are… are you sure you're okay?" Shin asked gently, and moved his hand over to N's. N's hand flinched but in the end accepted the warmth of the other boy's sympathy.

"Who are you…?" N repeated his question. Shin bit his lower lip and let go of N's hand. "Tell me… tell me about your life as a Pokémon Trainer. I… want to know (He was almost about to say I _need_ to know)." Shin didn't know where to start, and looked back into what he had already explained. The large clock in the room started to ring, telling Shin and N how much time it had been since N entered the teahouse. As the clock continued to tell the time, Shin finally began to respond to N's question.

"Remember how I said I questioned Celebi? Well… it was for a very short while, and honestly, I can't blame myself considering what happened, but this man whom I never expected to see helped me get out of the doldrums. He saved me, just like how Celebi saves the forest…"

N repeated Shin's words in his head, and each time he heard the name of the legendary Pokémon, his heartbeat quickened. Despite N's silence, Shin continued.

"In fact, this man changed my life forever. He was the one that advised me to move to Arborville Forest…"


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Pallet Town / 10 Years Ago**

Pallet Town was known for its serenity and beautiful scenery that made every visitor feel home. The sun had already risen hours ago, and yet Shin was curled up on a large sofa with hints of dry tears on his cheeks. He noticed that he wasn't at the Viridian Pokémon Center anymore. He opened his eyes and that bright sun shone directly into his face. Despite the warmth emulated by the sun, Shin shivered and closed his eyes. Every time Shin woke up, he woke up from a nightmare, and the flash of flames came back to him. He didn't know how many times he had cried since the incident, he felt torn, pathetic, and hopeless.

Being in a different environment aside from the Viridian Forest and the Pokémon Center certainly caused a new distraction though, and he looked around, noticing the large room surrounded by books and documents. As he heard a little chitter nearby, he noticed that Chikorita was sleeping beside him. He was glad he wasn't alone, and that Chikorita was the one that accompanied him. Even though he couldn't explain it, he was more attached to the Leaf Pokémon than he had expected. After all, their connection went way back. As Shin gently rubbed Chikorita's back, he opened his big ruby eyes and yawned, causing Shin to let out a little smirk. Chikorita looked at his human friend and smiled, using his leaf to gently touch Shin's hand.

Shin would have said a 'Good Morning' to him if he wasn't so distracted. He rubbed Chikorita's cheek and looked down at his lap and tried to remember how he had gotten there…

"_Professor… Oak?"_

"_I heard about your recent situation, Shin. I also heard your parents were very passionate Guardians of the Forest."_

"…"

"_I came here to see you because I wanted to talk to you, but it's getting very late, and I'm sure you are tired. Why don't you stay at my Laboratory tonight? It's not very far away from here… You can bring Chikorita along with you."_

"Are you awake?" Shin opened his reddened eyes as he heard a familiar voice coming from the door across the room. Professor Oak was holding cups of warm milk in both hands. He was wearing a lab coat above his shirt and tie, and was relatively old, his hair gray. Shin sat up, still confused at the reality that he was personally interacting with Professor Oak. As the Professor walked towards the couch, Chikorita sat on Shin's lap. The Professor had witnessed the two interact for a moment, he couldn't help but comment on their evident friendship.

"I heard about you and this Chikorita, some give themselves some time once they turn 10, but it looks like you already have your first Pokémon." Professor Oak's words puzzled Shin even more. The two looked at each other. Chikorita smiled, but Shin didn't. Turning 10 simply was the worst thing that had ever happened to him, and he didn't know if associating that with his only living friend was the most appropriate. But Shin didn't talk back or accuse Professor Oak of ignorance. He was too tired, too depressed, and he knew the Professor wasn't malicious with his words in any way.

Rather than using the couch that Shin was using for a bed, the Professor sits on the smaller chair beside it, placing the cups of warm milk on a desk near the couch. He then placed his hand on Shin's shoulder. As he looked at Shin's teary face, Professor Oak's smile faded away.

"I'm sorry…" He began. "I'm sorry all of this happened. The Forest means a lot to me, and it was shocking myself. Somehow I couldn't leave you like that after I found out that you lo…. what, had happened…" Shin kept staring at Professor Oak, finally opening his mouth and speaking to him for the first time that day.

"Why am I here?" Professor Oak dropped his hand from Shin's shoulder and clarified.

"Well, as I said last night, I wanted to talk to you. More specifically, about what you were screaming at the Pokémon Center. I was actually there, and I overheard you." Shin tried to remember what he had screamed about, and remembering how he had embarrassed himself in front of a sympathetic crowd. He had absolutely no idea what that had to do with anything though. As Shin kept pondering at the events, Professor Oak continued.

"Being a Messenger, it must have been especially horrifying to see it. I'm sure you felt betrayed and helpless. You were always taught that Celebi brings life to the Forest, and protects it, and that it travels through time, bringing happiness to the forest. A forest fire must have been a major contradiction, and I understand why you felt that way." Not a single word of response came out of Shin's mouth. Despite his emotion of despair, a small spot in his mind was curious about what Professor Oak knew about the Guardian of the Forest. Had this been a different situation, Shin would have been able to write a book of questions he wanted to ask. As he took a deep breath and puth his thoughts back together in place, Shin finally asked his first question.

"Do you know, how it all started?" Shin's voice was raspy and even shaky (Chikorita leaned closer to Shin, preparing himself to prevent the poor human child from breaking down again).

"How what started?" Professor Oak replied with a question of his own, seeking for clarification.

"The legends… The stories… The myths. If none of them were true, there mustn't have been any witnesses of Celebi. But the myths, they exist… Do you know how any of this started? Or why?" Before Professor Oak even thought of an answer, he looked closely at Shin's eyes, as though he was waiting to say something in particular. Suddenly, the Professor looked at Shin and placed both hands on his shoulders.

"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about the most." He replied. "I didn't want you to lose any faith in the Guardian, the Guardian that ha always protected you, your Chikorita, and the forest."

"Here we go…" Shin thought. At this point he was convinced that nothing would persuade him. In fact, he was disappointed that even Professor Oak would support any of the lies and fairytales that were not remotely close to being true. He just wanted answers to his question. But Professor Oak continued with his own talking point. He seemed extremely serious and determined with his purpose.

"Hear me out, before you go to any conclusions. I told you before; the forest means a lot to me, and even though I'm not a Messenger, I support their cause." Shin rubbed his eyes and wiped his face with the napkin beside his plate.

"…Why is that?"

"Because…" Professor Oak responded. "I've seen Celebi."

Chikorita, still leaning against Shin seemed surprised himself. 'Shocked' was a better word to describe Shin's emotion. He widened his eyes as he continued staring at the Professor. What he said was impossible though. Nobody has seen Celebi except for the first Messengers, or at least that is what legend claims. He sighed and held Chikorita in his arm, placing his focus back to his own lap.

"Professor Oak, I appreciate your word. But I don't think I can be convinced… I lost my family in a forest fire. I lost everything I had before Chikorita came back to me. Had Celebi truly guarded the forest, none of this would have happened. Celebi protected nothing." He was on the same rail of thought until Professor Oak's next question froze him as he struggled to respond.

"Celebi saved you. Didn't it? Celebi saved Chikorita. You are still here." Shin distracted himself, when he finally took advantage of the warm milk. The milk was hardly warm anymore, but Shin reached over to one of the cups and took a quick sip out of it. He didn't know why he felt so insecure.

"Shin… I've seen Celebi, and that is the absolute truth." Professor Oak stood up from his chair and walked over to a shelf of books. He took out what looked like a ringed notebook. He looked slightly disappointed though, after he finally witnessed the page he was looking for. Nonetheless, he walked back over to his chair and showed the page to Shin. It was a sketch, and amazingly drawn at that. Shin peeked at it and saw a Pikachu on the left, and another creature that seemed like a Pokémon, but was hardly evident.

"It's been so many years and it's faded out, but this is Celebi, the way I saw it." Shin placed his cup back on the desk and took a hold of the sketchbook as the Professor kept on explaining. "And during my encounter with the Guardian of the Forest, this what I learned first and foremost when I encountered it: Celebi is not some omnipotent, Godly Pokémon like many Messengers, and probably yourself, interpreted it as… Celebi is one of the hundreds of Pokémon out there, its powers are real, and it can sure do wonders. I saw them myself. But when I first encountered Celebi, it was so frail and hurt. It was being attacked by other larger Pokémon owned by a Hunter."

Shin couldn't believe what he was hearing, and astonishment was evident in his eyes. He did not expect any of this, let alone the fact that hunters were after the Guardian, which was definitely blasphemous and despicable in his eyes. Shin remained silent. Say everything Professor Oak had said was true... What then? This question was answered by the Professor's conclusion.

"I thought you needed to know this. I'm only telling you. I'm not one to expose so much of a Legendary Pokémon that many try to find, especially after seeing it being targeted by heartless individuals. I study about Pokémon, I've done so for years, but Pokémon are first and foremost my friends, Celebi being one of them…I want to protect them and their habitat the way the Messengers do. But I wanted you to know the true Celebi. How it really is, and that what happened at the forest should never take away any of your faith."

As Professor Oak finished, Shin took one final look at the sketch before putting the notebook down on his lap, he couldn't deny the resemblance in what he had seen on the wood carving at Viridian Forest.

"Shin?" Professor Oak tried to get his attention back. Chikorita, after being amazed at the conversation himself, was trying to get a closer look of the sketch, and gave a concerned glance to his "Partner." Both the Professor and the Leaf Pokémon witnessed Shin's tears. Even though Shin was utterly embarrassed at how many times he had cried over these past few days, it was somehow different this time. Some sort of energy came back to him as he heard Professor Oak's story.

"_A Friend"_

That word hit Shin's mind as he thought for a long time in silence. His perspective of the Guardian changed once again, but this time, it was filled more with hope than with curiosity: hope that one day, all of his questions would be answered. He put Professor Oak's words together in his mind, and wiped his tears away, trying his best not to cry again. Chikorita seemed surprised at what even looked like a small but significant emotional recovery. Not a moment later, he felt a firm pet on his shoulder. As Chikorita kept witnessing his facial expressions, Shin moved his focus towards Chikorit and gave him a smile. It was the first time Chikorita saw Shin smile since they had met before the forest fire. Chikorita smiled back, and Shin moved his attention back to Professor Oak, holding onto the sketchbook very tightly in his hands.

"Professor, will I be able to meet Celebi?" Shin asked. Professor Oak nodded.

"A Legendary Pokémon is Legendary for a reason, but if Celebi would appear before any Messanger of the Forest, I think it would be you: someone who is innocent, and has the ability to treat Pokémon as an equal, and as a friend. Not everyone can do that…" Shin tightened his grip and asked his final questions.

"But, where should I look? Where did you see Celebi?" Professor Oak took out a small book from his pocket and handed it to Shin. Inside it was a map of Johto Region, which Shin had never been to but wasn't too far away. He looked at the map until he found a circle on a particular secluded location:

_Arborville Forest_

When Shin raised his head up to look at Professor Oak, he responded with a nod.

"You're 10 years old." He stated. "You can go on a journey as a Pokémon trainer, and you can discover things yourself. You even already have a Partner to go with you." Shin didn't know what the Professor meant until he looked at Chikorita, who seemed to be eager to go on a journey with Shin. Shin was still puzzled, and he needed time to think.

"Consider it a Pilgrimage." Professor Oak concluded with that advice. "You've heard so much from others, perhaps now it's your turn to see for yourself. The possibility is definitely there. I guarantee it."

Shin couldn't help but return his attention to the old faded sketch. Professor Oak took his own cup of warm milk as he smiled in relief, seeing the glow in Shin's eyes.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**Arborville Forest / 10 Years Later**

The lake reflected the moonlight so beautifully. Shin, now 20 years old, was asleep by the lake, the Pokéball in which Meganium was inside still attached to his sash near his embroidered name.

With a hesitant blink, Shin opened his hazel eyes and slowly came back to his world. He quickly looked up into the air and noticed that he was back home, with the giant lake that had healed his heart for 10 years now, ever since he first visited it. He progressively realized that he had woken up from a mysterious yet soothing sleep. But every slumber came with a dream, and as he slowly remembered what he dreamt of, he looks around, surprised to see absolutely no creature in sight.

"Celebi…?"

Shin whispered under his breath and stood up, wandering around the edge of the lake. After all these years, Celebi appeared in front of him in the form of a dream, and to Shin's surprise, the Guardian of the Forest was quite far from what he had ever imagined it to be. He didn't remember exactly how Professor Oak described the Legendary Pokémon, but it was close enough to remind him of that conversation.

Celebi was hardly Godly. In fact, it was one of the most endearing Pokémon he had ever seen in his life. This playful Pokémon was the Guardian of the Forest, and it was his duty to keep the promise of remembering its message and its voice. Shin's mind was in a complex state as he tried to put his perception and his observation together. But one emotion he did not feel was disappointment. In fact, Shin felt joy in the encounter. But it was only what was in his mind, and he could be wrong. Nonetheless, even though it was merely a dream, Shin felt like he finally had an idea of what it felt like to witness Celebi in front of him, and how it would show him the way down the road of pilgrimage he had walked through his life here at the Johto Region.

Shin takes a deep breath and tries to gather all of his thoughts together, so he can go back home and continue to seek and pray for the day that he will meet the Guardian; this time while he was wide awake…

But as the seconds passed, an even larger portion of Shin's memory returned to his eyes.

"_What's wrong?" Shin walked closely over to the bed. The little boy remained silent and said nothing in response. From the looks of it, he seemed to be afraid of Shin. However, Shin wondered if he could help. _

"_Did you have a bad dream?" Shin couldn't help but feel sympathy for the boy. He knew it was a nightmare that had been keeping the boy awake. He once had a little brother of his own, and he would show an expression of both fear and loneliness every time he successfully escaped his nightmares but still remembered them. _

"_I'm sorry you had to see all of that. Come here…" Shin remembered the old times when he had someone to protect, and someone to love. The little boy in front of him pulled his heart in such a similar way, even though this was a unique encounter on its own, with a sense of care that Shin had never experienced in his entire life: after all, he had never seen this boy in his entire life, and he was much younger than Shin was. _

_Shin moved closer and smiled at him. The boy's pale and soft cheeks and rather eccentric appearance invited him into a world of curiosity. To further comfort the boy, Shin moved closely to him and placed his arms around, holding him tightly. However, not being able to decipher the moment, the boy started to scream, as though a monster was attacking him. Shin widened his eyes and quickly tried to stop the screaming!_

"_Shhh! Shhh!" Shin whispered, not wanting the strange men and women that were chasing him to hear the commotion. He didn't let go of the boy, however. In fact, he tightened the hug and pulled him even closer to his chest and neck, patting the boy on his frail back. _

"_Don't worry… it's okay… I won't hurt you…"_

Shin's feet froze as the image of the little boy came back to his mind: the fragile-looking boy with shiny blue eyes and green hair. Purity was all he could see in him, and those memories of fraternal instincts and his sense of endearment he had for the boy started to come back. How the boy was crying after experiencing a terrible nightmare, and crying even harder when he tried to comfort him. He had no idea where that boy came from, and why he was even in his dream. But as time went on and he started to think back even further, he wondered why the boy was so stuck in his heart. It could have been because it reminded him of his Late Little Brother, but that wasn't the entire story. At that point, 'a gut-feeling' was the only way to describe his attachment. In fact, it even seemed like the boy himself was a part of his now 10-year old pilgrimage.

Shin walked back towards the lagoon and sat down, gazing at the reflection of moonlight and putting his hands together and praying that he will find an answer that would explain the dream he just had in its entirety, and that Celebi would provide him with answers along with his further encounter with his Guardian.

When Shin heard the tiny sound of something falling onto the ground, he looked near his arm. It was the old book he had been carrying every single day since his voyage began. Somehow, it seemed like having the book of maps that Professor Oak gave him would show him the way, even though he didn't expect it to actually happen. He flips around the pages, looking at all of the circled forests around the world, wondering if any of them were similar to the forest Celebi took him to in his dream (Shin dismissed such curiosity soon after asking himself, 'Why would a fictional forest in my dream exist?'). But as he turned the pages, he noticed that there was a region he had overlooked after all of these years. In fact, it seemed like this page appeared out of nowhere, even though that was impossible. However, Shin had never seen these pages. He looked at the map in its entirety and the thought of progress boiled in his mind. He couldn't emphasize enough in his mind that all of this was a dream and nothing else. Even then, somehow it just seemed like Celebi was telling him to go there, to this region where the new forest stood. Shin didn't know which forest it was, but that would be the place where he would receive yet another message from the Voice of the Forest, and that he would treasure it along with the experience. As he read the top of the map, Shin whispered the name of that region, the gut-feeling getting even stronger as he did so.

"Unova…"

**Nimbasa City / 2 Months Later**

N looked down at his lap as he heard Shen's devotion to Celebi, and how passionate he was. There was once a time when he would have cursed at it, but for once he had absolutely no idea what to think of it. He didn't exactly have any emotion of respect coming out of him, though. It was merely a dogma that he couldn't unlock in any way. Even though he knew Shin had stopped talking, he didn't want to keep eye contact with the young man.

"_How pathetic…"_

As silence behind the soothing music continued, he remembered his own words, and his facial expression got gloomier and gloomier as he realized that he had started a cause of his own that would have miserably clashed with Shen's purpose, and even his life itself.

Team Plasma had targeted the Messengers all around Unova. N genuinely believed that they were a group of human hypocrisy, and that they resorted to a Legendary Pokémon that deserved to be left alone. They had also taken his friends out of their natural habitat and take advantage of them to spread their Message. All of that remained true in his heart until he later found out that targeting these poor souls was yet another plan of Ghetsis, who was consumed with greed and had been expanding his ambition to a point that N had never anticipated.

But at that point, none of that mattered. What mattered to him was what would happen next. Shin seems to know about Team Plasma, but he doesn't seem to know N's status of "King." Let alone the truth behind the entire cult of radical ideology.

What would Shin think of him if he found out? Even though he never particularly cared for what others thought of him, with Shin, the boy in front of him, it was a completely different case. He spent the next few moments to seek for an explanation for all of these thoughts. All he could think of was the fear of losing the hug that he once got: the only hug from a human being that he had ever received. Shin was the only human being that he was exposed to before being named King of Team Plasma. Even though N didn't care for listening to the voice of the heart of humans, somehow, a sense of kindness and sympathy came out of the young man. N's entire life felt like one big lie, being treated like a puppet figure and being betrayed by all that he believed in. But inside the swamp of lies was honesty that came from Shin. After a tremendous amount of fear, confusion, and seclusion, Shin was there for him, even if it was for just one moment. He didn't want to lose it for even a second…

He asked himself one more time, if he believed that Shin would accept him for who he was, and how he has been raised, and what was a long lasting purpose of his entire life even when Shin ran into his room in a hurried and terrified manner.

As thunder rumbled in the gray sky, N and Shin both looked out the window to hear the weather's downfall yet again.

"Ugh… It was so beautiful this morning. The weather over here has been ridiculous lately." Shin took the teacup and empty pot from N's table and moved them back to the sink on the counter. He glanced at N and was only able to see his back. Somehow, he wanted to see him smile.

"N? Are you going to be alright? I don't want this weather to keep you from going home." N raised his head at the word 'home.' Shin turned on the faucet at the sink and started to wash the teacups with cold, clean, and clear water.

"Unless, you want to spend the night here? It doesn't look like it'll get any better. I'm sure the owner of this shop wouldn't mind."

N blinked and remembered how he had spent the night at a Pokémon Center earlier. He was provided shelter to hide from the rain yet again. N didn't have a real home. His only home was one he didn't want to remember.

"Besides, I wanna… I wanna know more about you, N. I was flattered that you were curious about me. Now I'm curious about you myself. After all…"

After all, the boy he encountered in that room seemed like the heart of his travel to Unova, especially considering how it wasn't a dream. All that Shin had experienced before opening his eyes in front of the forest lake was real, and it was only two months ago that he had actually met Celebi, and that Celebi had taken him back in time, to a forest near the castle-like structure that N grew up in.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**Arborville Forest / 2 Months Ago**

"Meganium~!? It's time to go home!" Shin screamed into the surrounding trees, hoping that his partner didn't dash too far away. That was when he heard rustling of branches and leaves. As Shin looked behind him, Meganium dashed out of one of the bushes to scare Shin!

"OH! My Gosh. Every time. Every single time! You remind me of somebody from way back." Shin gave Meganium's forehead a kiss as he had done ever since he was a Chikorita. After gently petting Meganium's head, they head back home. He was getting quite hungry, and hopefully Towa was done baking her bread for the day.

Had his parents been alive, they would have been proud of Shin's growth. As he soaked in the wonders of Arborville Forest, he slowly became a proud resident. His distinct but intricate clothes were handmade, and his hair had grown below his shoulders, and was tied into a ponytail behind on the back of his head.

Meganium let out a big yawn as the two walked towards home. Shin couldn't chuckle in endearment. Despite the rather emotional encounter and reuniting, the two had become very close, and Shin simply didn't know what he would do without his partner.

"What's wrong, Pal? Do you want to get some rest?" Meganium nodded in return. Shin smiled and grabbed his Pokéball, letting Meganium in so that he would be able to rest in a quiet space. He looked at the Pokéball and smiled. The red on his Pokéball had faded off over the years, and there were quite a few scratches on the surface. After all, even though he didn't live inside it much, this had been the same Pokéball for Meganium ever since he left Viridian City to begin his Pilgrimage. Even though he coexisted with nature with his partner, not every single wild Pokémon had been cooperative, and he needed some way to keep Chikorita stronger and active. It was about 2 years into his new life when Shin said farewell to the Chikorita he saved from the forest and was reunited with on his 10th Birthday, after losing his family. His partner had evolved from Chikorita to Bayleef, and in few years time, from Bayleef to Meganium. Considering the frail state Shin saw him at their first encounter, seeing his partner evolve was quite the experience. To this date, Meganium would help him around the forest, finding directions when he got lost, and identifying plants and berries that were edible. It was Meganium's talent, and he seemed to be proud of it himself. He never hesitated to help others the way his partner did.

Before Shin reached home, he stopped by in front of a small Shrine made of stone. Towa had told him that the Shrine had been built by the Messengers that had settled there to honor the Guardian. Towa has heard the Voice of the Forest, and all of the stories she had to tell him were dazzling, not to mention the fact that they triggered his dream to get the answers he had been searching for from the Celebi.

Shin stared at the Shrine, despite his eagerness; he didn't expect his encounter with Celebi to come very quickly. Alas, he had waited 10 whole years. Shin called his entire new life a "Pilgrimage" as Professor Oak first phrased it, and every single day, he would come to the stone shrine, place his hands together and pray.

"There you are!" a young girl ran over towards Shin and placed her hand on his shoulder. A slender and casual-clothed girl with beautiful white skin and light green hair was Towa's granddaughter, Diana. As Shin noticed Diana's voice, he looked towards her and smiled.

"Sorry for being late." Shin apologized, but his expression was gleeful and even childlike. It's amazing though. After being here for so long you'd think you would know everything about this forest. Obviously that's not the case, neither for me or Meganium." Shin and Diana had grown up together in the forest and were almost like siblings. Diana laughed at Shin's comments.

"'So long'? What about Grandma? She's been living here for more than 50 years!" Shin smiled, feeling stood corrected.

"Oh I know, and she tells me all about her stories too. But 10 years does seem like a long time to me. My partner evolved, and I found out how much I didn't know about the forest. I used to visit Viridian Forest a lot with my Brother, but playing in a forest and living in a forest are clearly not the same." He paused. "You know, sometimes I wonder what I would have been like if they were still here." Diana's smile faded away, knowing that she will never understand how Shin felt that day. Even though Shin was not as nearly as depressed as he first was when his pilgrimage began, it was still an experience that brought him here, and certainly wasn't pleasant to remember. Shin took a deep breath and smiled just a little bit.

"But you know, I'm still glad this Pilgrimage began. I have purpose, and to this date it's my dream." Diana nodded and smiled, noticing and even being proud of Shin's growth and maturity. After Shin took one last glance at the moss-covered Shrine, the two start walking back home to Diana and Towa's tree house. As they walked, Diana continued the conversation.

"You know Shin, I've always been wondering. You told me that you had questions you wanted to ask when you get to meet Celebi. What questions were you thinking about? If you don't mind my asking." Shin chuckled and shrugged.

"Believe it or not, sometimes I ask that myself. Silly isn't it? But I always believe that when the day comes, I will know what to ask, and I will find answers to the questions that are in my heart. They can't really be expressed with words…" Shin thought for a moment, thinking back at his thoughts of despair and shock, and how they were slowly taken away as he saw the sketch Professor Oak had shown him. He continued with his response after a few steps of silence. "But if I were to try, I can at least think of what I want to know about. Celebi's ability to travel through time through the Voice of the Forest… I want to know what time meant to the Guardian. I've always wondered if Celebi knows each and every moment of our fate and whether or not it uses power to make differences." Diana didn't know how to respond. Ever since Shin arrived at the forest, he would find things easily when Diana was never able to despite living in the forest for almost her entire life. Shin always had so much in his mind, and there was a sense of admiration inside her.

"Grandma, we're home!" Diana called as she opens the door and enters. Towa was a short woman who wore intricate clothing that clearly inspired Shin's attire. The color of her hair, her wise and optimistic attitude all proved that she and Diana were related. The cane that resembled a certain Owl Pokémon she always had was placed against the table as Towa sat and waited for the bread to be done. Shin looks so gleeful as he smelled the wonderful aroma. His smile caught Towa's attention.

"Shin, did something happen in the forest? You look very happy!" Shin shook his head.

"Oh, the forest was the usual, but it's just, your bread. I'm so excited to try it!" Towa laughed at Shin's childlike response.

"Oh Shin, you haven't changed a bit since you first came here. You were so nervous and afraid, but I still remember, this bread made you smile for the first time, and you would wake up early in the morning to see if there was any left." Shin blushed at the childhood stories. Towa took a glance at her Guest, and remembered what he was like when he was little.

"Well, on second thought, there are some parts of you that haven't changed, but you have definitely grown up to be smart and kind. I must admit, having you here is a wonderful experience." At Towa's words, Shin blushed even more.

"Th-thank you." Towa smiled and placed her hand on his long hair and glanced at his birthmark under his eye, noticing how much Shin has grown.

"Trust me, you have been here for 10 years and you are still devoted to your faith and your life here. I know it, some day you will hear the Voice of the Forest like I did 40 years ago, and some day Celebi will bring you a smile." Shin stared to get teary-eyed as Towa spoke. He moved his eyes onto the Pokéball that Meganium was in, and thanking him for always being there. He moved his attention back to Towa.

"Well, Thank you so much for letting me stay. Everyone here even helping me build my own room on the tree house. It sure was flattering. You have no idea how blessed I feel."

After letting out a warm smile, Towa took a hold of her hand-carved cane and checked over to see how the bread was baking. Diana stood up from her chair and followed her Grandmother, insisting that she would help. Shin took a deep breath and looked around. How he lost his family and life in a forest and was blessed with a new one in a forest was certainly bizarre, but he loved his currently life, and every single day for the past ten years, he thanked his fate for leading him here. As he closed his eyes and started to pray in his heart, he suddenly heard a large scream from outside the tree house.

"AAAAAAH! SOMEBODY, HELP! I CAN'T GET OUT!" Towa and Diana turned around, surprised by the scream and wondering what the commotion was about. But by the time they had noticed that someone was in need of help, Shin had already dashed out of the tree house…

**Nimbasa City / 2 Months Later**

Shin opened his eyes in the middle of the night, he sat up from his sleeping bag and looked up at the bed he was lending. He stretched and rubbed his eyes, finally noticing that N was gone. Shin wondered if N simply needed a glass of water, but no sound came from the Teahouse kitchen. He looked around and the window invited his attention. He looked up and sighed in awe. After such unpredictable weather, the skies over Nimbasa City were cloudless once again. It was a full moon, and it lit up the air so softly. The rain clouds escaped and gave room for the stars to shine under the neighborhood. Light pollution from downtown hid the stars, but tonight, they were showing off their rays more than ever.

Shin's attention moved back to his search for N. He stood up and took a hold of his sweatshirt that was hanging on the wall. The sweatshirt was dark green and matched his nightwear so perfectly. Before he left the bedroom, he took another glance at the moon, walking closer and closer to the window. He looked underneath the sky and witnessed something that gave him an idea, hoping that it might progress to something…

The garden behind the teahouse was simply dazzling to N. He was concerned about the garden being so close to a major city full of people and noise, but all of those concerns seemed trivial. The garden was alive and energetic even at night, as though something was giving it life and healing them when in need, even though it was impossible.

Despite all of the wonders he witnessed at the Garden, N seemed melancholic, and secluded. He was sitting on the ground, with his arms around his folded legs. Despite the kind gesture from both N and the teahouse owner's approval, N couldn't sleep. It was the first time he had seen a full moon in a while, let alone a clear night such as this one. He looked over towards the center of the garden smiled at the sight. Shin's Meganium was resting comfortable. Shin had informed him that he wanted to stay in the herb garden for the night instead of the Pokéball, and that Shin accepted Meganium's request (to which N felt relief. He had never grown fond of a Pokéball, especially when the Pokémon seemed so free and happy outside). To N, Meganium was at home, and it was very appropriate. Pokémon belonged where they were comfortable, and where the environment suited their identity; at least, that's what he believed. However, maybe he had been wrong. The last thing N wanted to be was informed with false assumptions, but that was never more evident ever since his ultimate goal to separate Pokémon from Humanity was betrayed profusely. The King was now a mere wanderer of confusion. He tried to convince himself that he had gotten over the phase of despair, and he thought that his most recent goals led to the right path. But after seeing the crowds of Nimbasa City from the ground rather than high above from the Ferris Wheel, N was forced to confront yet another dogma that N didn't expect. He devoted his life to Pokémon, and the Pokémon were still with him, and he would rather die than let them go. But somehow, in the middle of the herb garden, N was afraid that he would be alone someday, with no one to protect him. To add insult to injury, for the first time in his life, he felt that same sadness towards another human being. He took a glance at his own self: his feet, his legs, his hands, and his clothing, reassuring himself that he was human, and so was Shin. Meganium wasn't, and none of his friends were. The voice of the heart wasn't necessary with Shin. They conversed, and spoke the same language. But unlike Pokémon, he still struggled to listen to the voice of Shin's heart. He didn't want his heart to betray him the way he was betrayed by other human beings, let alone the fact that what his deeds in the past could have potentially hurt those that Shin may have been connected with. It was at that moment that he decided to keep his past a secret. Perhaps a kind Pokémon will come by that N would be able to trust, and perhaps he would tell that Pokémon when the right time comes, pleasing it not to tell anyone.

Suddenly, N felt something covering up his shoulders. After a surprised reaction, he looks behind, Shin gave N a warm smile and finished placing his sweatshirt on N's shoulders. N didn't know how to react to this, but for some reason, he couldn't help but smile.

"Aren't you cold?" N asked, still smiling. He gave N a hot cup of tea before picking up his own. He sat down next to N and looked up at the sky.

The two boys were both completely aware of their first encounter. Deep down, they were confident that the other remembered it as well. But somehow, their encounter remained a silent topic.

Shin takes a sip of his tea and quickly glanced at N's cup.

"Try it." Shin suggested. "If you couldn't sleep, maybe this will help. Meganium picked these leaves out too." N looked at Shin and then at his own cup. He carefully sipped the steaming hot tea, exhaling softly and looking up at the sky as the tea ran down his throat aroma and flavor sooth his heart. Every single gesture that N made was endearing to Shin. He remembered that small child, innocent, naïve, and afraid. The young boy had never even hugged before in his life. Somehow, as far as appearance went, very little had changed. But he undeniably grew up wonderfully. In fact, in some ways h Shin found N to be attractive. There was something childlike about him; he was filled with innocence. At the same time, ever since he first saw him in front of the teahouse, his glassy blue eyes were filled with sadness. Shin couldn't help but feel curious about the aftermath of their encounter, and what had led up to this very moment.

Ironically, what Shin was curious about was the last thing N wanted him to know about. He huddles into Shin's sweatshirt and takes another sip. Hesitantly, N moves his head towards Shin. Shin noticed the stare and smiled back. Shin's long charcoal hair, his intricate attire, the birthmark under his eye, and his brotherly smile filled with love, and even how he smelled of the forest, were all identical to what he remembered from the day he dashed into his unlocked room as N suffered to recover from his nightmare. 15 Years had been a long time, and his memory of Shin had been blank for a very long time. Thinking back into his memories, his emotions, and his senses, by then he was confident enough that some force had led him to the only human being that had ever held him tightly, and had told him that he wouldn't hurt him. Shin was not like any other human being, he wasn't a creature of lies or betrayal. However, one significant factor was still stuck in N's mind, and caused so much confusion.

"Time is so strange, isn't it?" Shin asked out of the blue. Not expecting Shin's question, N tilted his head. Shin continued. "Time takes memories away, it makes us grow, it makes us learn, it makes us change, and yet we have absolutely no control over it. But somehow all of the other factors lead us here. Sometimes I believe that time is the core of everything. Time is like a tree trunk that grows, but the flower petals grow and fall, and snow covers it, and the branches die, but the tree trunk stands forever…"

Shin's poetic thoughts made N absolutely speechless (more than he already was). N still pondered at the one thing he couldn't find an explanation too. Shin is about the same age as he is, and yet when they first met, N was much younger, and Shin was almost identical to how he can remember him from 15 years ago. It simply didn't make any sense. Shin continued with his thoughts.

"The Guardian of the Forest is the only one that can pass through that tree trunk. I figured this out on my own, without any words from my father or the Sage that would always teach us back in Viridian City. Even though our duty is to spread the beauty that Celebi creates and cherishes it the way it would want us to, nonetheless we are all wanderers searching for the messages that Celebi keeps to itself that we simply can't deliver." Even though N was too distracted by his own curiosity, Shin mentioning Celebi came out at the right timing.

Shin, the young man that dashed into his room out of nowhere, worshipped Celebi: a Time Travel Pokémon. N quickly put everything together. He was finally able to come to the conclusion that there was only one explanation to how any of this could have happened. He opened his mouth, and spoke for the first time that night.

"….Shin?"

"Hmm?"

"Did you ever get to meet Celebi?" Shin stared at N, slightly puzzled momentarily, but if that was what N wanted to know, it was worth telling him, because that is at the core of everything.

"Indeed I did. It was only two months ago… and that's why I'm here…"


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**Arborville Forest / 2 Months Ago**

"HELP ME!" As the scream continued to echo in the forest, Shin ran towards it, hoping that everything would eventually be all right as long as he helped. He heard the voice, and it was getting louder and louder in his ear, but he simply couldn't find the man he needed to rescue. Shin takes a Pokéball from his sash and opens it. A flash of light appeared and out came his old partner.

"Meganium, I'm gonna need your help! Can you hear that!?" Meganium looked up at the forest sky, nodding as he heard it just the way Shin did. The Herb Pokémon kept his neck craned up towards the top of the trees and walked just a few steps. As Shin followed Meganium, he noticed the sound of leaves shuffling and falling onto the ground. Shin looked up. There was a middle-aged but colorful-clothed man stuck in one of the trees. Shin widened his eyes.

"Sir!" Shin cried.

"Oh Goodness, I was finding some nice wood and I guess the tree didn't want to let go of me!" Shin exhaled in relief, realizing that it wasn't a severe or fatal situation. Nonetheless, he still needed some help to let the man back on the ground. Shin looked around the man and the tree that caught him, and screamed out one more time.

"Can you reach that big branch next to you?" The man looked towards his side. After a few attempts, he was finally able to grip onto it, and looked back at Shin, giving him a thumbs up. Meganium looked at Shin, confirming their thoughts with a nod.

"Meganium, Razor Leaf!" Meganium aimed high towards the branch that was tangled up onto the Man's body. The razor leaves instantly reached those branches and the man was released, he quickly held onto the branch with his other hand. Unfortunately, not being strong enough to hold the man's weight, the branch crackled and broke in half: leading the man to fall down. Shin instinctively covered his eyes and froze.

After hearing a large thud, he opened his eyes, noticing had fallen on his rear. Shin cursed at himself in his head and quickly ran over to him.

"Oh my gosh sir, I am so sorry! I thought that branch would be strong enough! Are you alright?" The man rubbed his hip as he gave Shin yet another thumbs up. Meganium smiled and ran closer to him, helping him get back up on his feet. The slightly tanned gentleman had an aura of liveliness to him. Despite Shin's serious concern, he seemed to be quite happy that he regained his freedom.

"I'd rather fall onto the ground than be stuck on top of a tree. Thank you very much, um…" The man tried to finish his sentence of gratitude, but realized that the boy that saved him with his Meganium was a complete stranger.

"My name is Shin." Shin quickly responded, but quickly moved back to his concerns. "But seriously, are you sure you're alright?" The man laughed and placed his hand on Shin's shoulder.

"You are a very nice young man!" He gave Shin yet another thumbs up from him. It seemed to be more of a habit than a method of showing emotion. "I've fallen off trees too many times. Just, never been caught by one." Meganium seemed to enjoy the man's humorous company. Shin knew that when Meganium smiled at a stranger that person was someone worth knowing. Shin took a glance at another tree, noticing what seemed to be the man's backpack and a very expensive-looking professional camera. "The man's a journalist!" he thought. The journalist gave Meganium's neck a couple of pats and looked back at Shin, noticing the red bruise under his left eye. Shin knew that look. Everyone wondered about his birthmark when they first met him.

"Oh, no worries. I was born with this." He rubbed his birthmark as the journalist laughed again.

"Of course you were! Well, the name's Mill. I travel around different forests and carve things out of wood. I just got carried away finding the right material." Mill wasn't a journalist, after all; he was an artist, and most likely a photographer. Mill walked towards the tree he fell from and picked up his large backpack and camera.

"I just couldn't help but come back to this forest, though. I usually just bring my bag of tools and wood, but every time I come here, I have a camera with me. I share these photos but in all honestly, they don't do justice. I want my friends to see it for themselves!" Shin smiled and showed his attachment to Mill. Shin appreciated those who loved nature, especially those who were able to blend it with art.

"Do you live here, Mr. Shin?" Mill asked. Meganium playfully nudged Shin's neck. Shin started to stroke at Meganium's long neck and was slightly distracted. Mill couldn't help but smile at the sight.

"Yes, 10 years now. But I'm originally from Viridian City." Mill recognized the name of Shin's hometown.

"Oh! I've been to Viridian Forest! I wanted to pay my respects since I found out about the fir…' Mill ran away from his response when Shin's smile faded away and changed into a serious one. Mill shook his head and quickly changed the subject.

"Well, I'm originally from Nimbasa City. Do you know where that is?" Shin shook his head, the name of the city sounded familiar but it didn't ring a bell.

"No. I'm afraid I don't."

"Nimbasa City is in the Unova Region. It's a great big city, and lots of fun. But it makes me miss nature quite a bit, and one day I just asked myself 'Why not?' and decided to travel all over the world. In fact, hold on just a minute." Mill placed his backpack back on the ground and unzipped his it. After taking a few moments to search with his hands, he picked out a small carving that was shaped just like a Meganium. The intricate details of the carving, from the Meganium's petals to the curved neck and body shape couldn't help but catch Meganium and Shin's attention. The two moved closer. Shin looked carefully but didn't want to touch such a fragile-looking work of art, even though Mill seemed to shove it in his bag.

"…You did that?" Shin asked. Mill nodded.

"Sure did. I make these for a living, but I wanna give this one to you. Thanks for saving me." Shin wanted to turn it down at first, but decided to thank him and accept the gift.

Shin retrieved his Pokéball and let Meganium inside. Mill and Shin started to converse as they walked around the forest.

"So, Mr. Shin. You said you've lived here for 10 years? What brought you here from your hometown?" Shin thought for a moment, it was such a long story to explain.

"It's a sort of pilgrimage. Someone told me that they saw the Guardian of the Forest right here, in Arborville Forest. I know you heard about the fire at Viridian Forest, well, all of that made me question how protected a forest can be, and I wanted to see the Guardian and seek for answers." He paused, looking down. "10 years later, still no sign."

Despite the deep story, Mill smiled.

"You must be a Messenger, then." Shin turned his head towards Mill. He smiled and nodded. He was proud of it, and he was proud of how he had never given up with his cause, especially with an amazing partner and wonderful friends beside him.

"Unova has messengers too. In fact, quite a few of them live in Nimbasa City. Apparently they like to interpret Celebi's messages in a more urban setting. Then there's Pinwheel Forest. I see a lot of Messenger kids playing around in the forest." Shin quickly remembered his own childhood, bringing back some fun memories he had with his brother. He let Mill continue. "But you know, they had a rough time, I think they're finally recovering from it after their lives moved back to normal." Shin tilted his head, having no idea what he meant.

"Recovering? Did something happen to them?" Mill explained even further.

"You see, until a few years ago there was this group called Team Plasma, and supposedly they believed in separating Pokémon from human." Shin grimaced and looked utterly confused.

"Why would anyone do that?" To someone who has lived in coexistence with Pokémon throughout his entire life and through worship, Team Plasma's purpose was nothing but illogical to him. Mill tried his best to remember all he knew.

"They believed that that was the right thing to do, or at least, a certain portion of them did. Others just wanted those Pokémon for themselves. I don't know if you know about any of this. I don't want to make false assumptions. I'm not sure if I should continue." As Mill leaned against a tree to take a break (his camera and backpack were not the easiest items to travel with), Shin stood right next to him.

"Please go on. I've never heard of any of this."

"Well…" Mill continued. "Team Plasma didn't like the idea of you… any of the Messengers worshipping a Pokémon, they interpreted that message as hypocrisy and masked greed." Shin looked up at the sky, pretending to be distracted, but Mill certainly didn't miss the boy's rage in his fisted hand.

"But that was only a part of Team Plasma's cause. I'm not really sure what they were trying to do, but we have this legend in our region, and the 'King' of Team Plasma wanted to use it, or… something like that. Heh." Mill chuckled. "Anyway, like I said, I don't know that much. I can tell you anything about the forests of Unova, but not the strange organizations."

Bewildered, Shin thought about how little conflict he had with anyone in his life. He wondered if his late parents have had any issues of disagreement with others. After devoting his entire life to a message, it was amazing how he learned something new every day. The sun was starting to set, and Mill took a peek at his watch.

"Darn. I should get going… I have a boat to catch that goes to Olivine City. Thanks for helping me, Shin. I love this forest, and the legend of Celebi, I'm sure I'll see you again some time." As they shook hands, Shin also shook his head.

"Please, don't mention it. It's the least I could do. But it was sure amazing. Who knows, maybe I will travel myself." Mill let go of Shin's hand and gave him one final thumb up, walking towards the direction that would take him to the bay.

Shin noticed the sky getting darker and darker. But that didn't stop him from hiking around Arborville Forest. He sat down in front of the Shrine he was at earlier in the day. He thought back at his conversation with Mill, feeling frightened by the sole idea of Team Plasma. The thought of Meganium being taken away from him made him shudder. He shook his head, remembering Mill telling him that this was all in the past, and that it was in a region far away. It meant nothing to him…

Shin leaned further against the shrine and touched the stone covered in moss. Towa said this Shrine had been here for decades; so that Celebi would know where to be, and to communicate the message that the forest would always needed the Guardian's help.

The stone was cool and heat was completely gone from it as Shin had always felt it. But at that moment, Shin quickly looked behind and glanced at his hand and clothes. The shrine felt warm. If anything it should have felt colder: the sun had already set completely, and clouds were covering the sky. Shin stood up and stared at the Shrine, giving it another touch. The warmth was gone. He placed his hands in his pocket and kept walking to a certain direction, knowing exactly where he wanted to go.

The tiny waves on the Lake of Life were undulating against Shin's own reflection as he kept glancing at it. He folded his legs between his arms and closed his eyes, putting his thoughts together and wondering if he could wait for another 10 years to find the answers he had been looking for. 10 Years felt like such a long time. Within the decade, Chikorita had evolved twice, he started to look at himself in the mirror more often, deciding to grow his hair on one occasion, growing his creativity by studying how to identify plants and berries, and made amazing friends on the way. But one thing had never changed all those years: every single day, he thanked Celebi for all of the blessings he had received.

But it had been quite a while, and he gained so much happiness and recovered from the sad memories of burning fire and holding Chikorita in his arms, mourning for the death of his parents and brother. Sometimes he would even think of moving back to his hometown, even though he always reached the conclusion that there was no reason in doing so.

Shin changed his posture and leaned against his hands, stretching his back and legs. But as his hands rubbed the ground, he felt a sharp pain in his hand.

"Ah!" he screamed. He quickly looked at his hand. It was too dark to notice, but it seemed like a splinter. A normal splinter wouldn't stop Shin, but this one was right in the middle of his right palm, and the more he thought about it, the more it started to hurt. Shin sat up and moved closer to the lake, dipping his water in it.

The gentle rings of waves moved outward with his hand in the center. He looked at those rings fly further and further. As he stared at the waves, he witnessed the similar waves moving towards him. Indicating that something else touched the surface of the lake. He looked towards the center of the lake. Even though there was nobody in sight, the waves continued to move towards him. He knew somebody was there.

"Hello~!?" Shin screamed towards the other side of the lake. As the cries of Insect Pokémon chirped in his ears, he shrugged the whole thing off. As he took his hand out of the water, he yawned and stretched. It was time to go back home and get some rest. Towa and Diana haven't seen him since Mill cried for help, and they were probably worried anyway.

That was when Shin felt the breeze against his body and heard the ruffling leaves whispering into his ears. He looke back at lake and walked a few steps around it. He was still convinced that somebody was there. He knew it wasn't Diana or Towa. Mill had probably arrived at the bay by now.

He suddenly felt a small dash of warmth run inside of him. It was the same odd touch that he felt at the shrine. He didn't know what it was, but it was soothing, and the trees started to sparkle around him, a mysterious sound diving into Shin's ears to accompany the sight.

Shin couldn't believe it. The sight was gorgeous and left him in awe, and all of his troubles went away. As the breeze flew, Shin placed his hands together and closed his eyes.

From that moment on, Celebi was no longer Shin's Guardian of Life and its messages, but a friend that would change his life forever…

Shin opened his eyes and continued to glance at the light, and in the midst of it, sighted a small creature flying towards him. Shin's arms dropped, and his eyes stopped blinking as the creature flew right at him. Tears fell out of Shin's eyes, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. He could only remember the large wood carving at Viridian City that was so vaguely drawn that it left Celebi's appearance to the Messengers' interpretation. Even though the memory of the artwork was minimal, he knew what he was witnessing. He whispered as the Time Travel Pokémon smiled back at Shin.

"…Celebi?"

Celebi nodded and smiled widely at Shin…


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**Amusement Park at Nimbasa City / 2 Months Later**

Shin asked if N had somewhere to go to, now that it was morning and that the rain clouds were gone. Even though he was bewildered after finding out that N was simply wandering around the entire region, he offered a hangout in the city, since there was no sense staying at the Tea House for the entire day on his day off.

As Shin walked away to get him a surprise treat, N gazed up at the Ferris Wheel. The Ferris Wheel carried couples around in circles, where they would get to see the world from high above, and then back near the ground. N often compared a Ferris Wheel to life itself. But somehow, his own Ferris Wheel felt like a broken one, he thought he was going around in those circles in a regular pace, living with purpose, but it simply felt like someone had tampered with the movement, and N couldn't fix it despite his likely ability to do so. It was too late when he realized that his Ferris Wheel had always been broken, he would be either stuck at the top, or locked in when he had the opportunity to exit. Either way, he couldn't get out.

As N played with his puzzle, he asked himself what was it that he wanted

right at that moment. He lost his purpose, he never had a true family, and it was all ever since he was picked up to live as a human. He hardly believed it, but he once heard one of the rumors that went around about him within Team Plasma: that he was raised by Pokémon in some forest. But if there was any chance of truth in that, perhaps what he wanted was to live in a different Universe where he was never raised by anybody else, and he would live with his friends for the rest of his life with no betrayal and no lies.

Suddenly, N felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned his head and saw that warm and loving smile of Shin. His hands dropped the cube puzzle, letting it dangle from his belt. Without saying a single word, Shin held a cone of soft-served ice cream in front of him and smiled. N hesitantly took it. N's expression of confusion made Shin smile. It seemed as though he had never seen soft-served ice cream before.

"Viridian City was definitely an urban environment" Shin sat down next to N on the bench and started speaking. "When I first came here I couldn't believe how crowded this place was." Shin confessed as he carefully took licks off of his ice cream. Trying to get some more stories from N, Shin subtly asked questions about his life.

"Where did you grow up?" N didn't have a single taste of his ice cream, and the sun was slowly melting it. Shin playfully lowered himself and took a bit of N's, avoiding the melting ice cream to drip on N's hands. Shin gave N another soft smile and a thumbs up (Somehow, a thumb up made him feel better when he was sad, and wondered if it would work with his new friend). Nonetheless, no smile came from N. Shin turned his attention back to his cone of ice cream in awkward silence. He thought back of that night, realizing that he almost saw a small smile from N, even though he wasn't able to see it before being forced out of the scene.

"I…" Despite the huge delay, N tried to respond. "I was living in one place for quite a while. It felt like I was locked in a certain place, and by the time I left that place and looked at the world, I found out how little I knew, and it was shocking to know that. I thought I had been taught everything I needed to know, and everything there was to know."

Shin hoped he wasn't referring to that dark room with no windows. The thought of him being stuck in there forever was rather sad, and even horrifying, but considering how secluded the strange structure was in the middle of the forest that Celebi took him to, Shin found it plausible… He asked yet another question:

"Where is that place you grew up in?"

While Shin thought back of those events as he gazed at the Ferris Wheel himself, N finally took a lick off of his ice cream and smiled. Even though he had been here to see the Ferris Wheel quite often, he had hardly ever done anything else in the amusement park. When N smiled, Shin couldn't believe what he saw. The smile was different from the small chuckles or sheepish expressions he had ever seen from him. The only smiles he saw were towards Meganium and other Pokémon they had walked by in the city. Those seemed… genuine, honest, and heartfelt. N was most definitely a handsome adult, but he could see that little boy Shin hugged and comforted in that room 2 months ago (or 15 years ago, depending on the perspective). Shin was done with half of his ice cream, and smiled at N as he was trying to avoid the ice cream from melting. Shin couldn't control his temptation, and he gave N's cheek a little poke. N looked at Shin, wondering what in the world he was up to, only to see a playful smile from Shin. But that smile was nothing new to him, that vague memory came back to him, and he felt loved and nothing else mattered.

"I'm sorry, what was I asking you?" Shin asked N, being distracted by the silence. "Oh right, where did you grow up? N felt that this was the right time to confess everything: about Team Plasma, about his life, about his conflict with the Messengers, and most importantly, about how he remembered Shin.

As N opened his mouth to respond, a small Vileplume appeared in front of them. Both of them smiled. Without any hesitation, N reaches over to the Flower Pokémon and rubbed its petals.

"Hello, my friend. Where did you come from?" N smiled softly. N's smile faded away after a few seconds. As those memories came back, both N and the Vileplume realized that they had met before. N froze as Vileplume expected another pet from N's hand, smiling at him. It didn't get the smile that it had seen from N at Pinwheel Forest though, and slowly moves away, looking disappointed. It started to hop towards a different human that was waiting for it. As N's eyes followed Vileplume, his eyes met with its trainer. The boy was slightly older, and had obviously taken great care of the Oddish he captured, despite N's criticism towards his beliefs. N looked only slight familiar to the boy, but somehow he felt the need to take Vileplume back into his Pokéball and leave the place.

Shin hadn't noticed any of the drama that had taken place in the hearts of the Vileplume and the two humans. By then all that was left was from his ice cream was his cone, and he took the last bite of it. He swallowed and began to talk.

"You know, I was worried when I first came here, because I heard about Messengers over here having their Pokémon taken away from them." N's head was still turned. However, at that moment, he was unable to move his focus back to Shin's hazel eyes and birthmark. All he was able to do was listen in a frozen state.

"Before I even thought of leaving Arborville Forest, I met a man from this region: he was an artist that visited Arborville Forest, the Forest I used to live in. He told me all about Team Plasma. Heh, Good Riddance."

"_Good Riddance"_

Shin's words stabbed N in the heart.

"I don't know what they were thinking, but Team Plasma had it all wrong. Sure, sometimes humans and Pokémon don't get along very well, but when they do, their hearts know that, and believing that it was best to separate them from their friends was utterly asinine."

N started to shake. Even though he nearly finished with his ice cream himself, instead of eating the cone, N began to crush it in his hand. The cone crumbled on the ground without Shin noticing. In fact, not being able to see N's change in emotion, he continued.

"I can't emphasize this enough. I was enraged when I heard the details when I came over here." He paused, finally moving his head towards N. "N, you weren't a victim of what they were doing, were you? They didn't hurt you, right?" N's back was still facing Shin, which made him feel serious and concerned. "…N?" Shin finally noticed the shattered ice cream cone. He quickly held onto his shoulder and gave it a tight squeeze.

"N… were you… Did they cause trouble with you as well? Oh Gosh, N, I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking…I'm really sorry. I don't know what to say. I didn't want to remind you of whatever that had happened…" N took a deep breath and gripped onto his cap. His back still facing Shin he wiped off the tears he had been hiding from Shin for the past few minutes.

"I… I should go." N stood up from the bench and walked away. Completely unaware of what was going on in N's mind, Shin stood up and grabbed N's wrist.

"N, I don't know what happened, but… I just want to help." He tightened his grip. "I want you to be happy. The last thing I want to do is make you sad. I can't believe I made false assumptions. I promise, I won't talk about it anymore."

N didn't say a word. He used his other hand to release himself from Shin's grip. He wanted him to let go. He didn't want Shin to have anything to do with him. N didn't deserve Shin, and Shin deserved better. N continued to walk away, taking a few steps first and quickening after each one.

Shin widened his eyes, trying to catch him again. However, by then, N had run away from Shin. Shin had only assumed that N was a victim of Team Plasma's cause, and that he had reminded him of whatever that had happened. Guilt was all he could feel. He blinked and came to his senses though, as he saw N running away from bench, disappearing in to the crowd.

"N…N… Wait! N!"


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

**Lake of Life (Arborville Forest) / 2 Months Ago**

"…Celebi?" Hearing its name, Celebi smiled widely at the Messenger and flew around him with glee. This was too surreal for Shin, and words couldn't describe how jumbled up his mind was. He shook his head and turned around, mumbling to himself.

"This has got to be a dream…" Celebi heard Shin's words and tilted its head and quickly flew over in front of Shin as he was walking back, wondering where Shin was going and not wanting him to leave. Shin blinked and stared into Celebi's eyes. For the first time ever, Shin discovered that Celebi had big crystal blue eyes. Shin was even able to see his own reflection in them despite the darkness of the sky.

Celebi and Shin stared at each other for a while, Celebi's smile was friendly and warm, and Shin's heart was melting. Even if he had discovered Celebi as a Pokémon he saw for the first time without any context, he would have adored the green fairy-like Pokémon. Celebi looked into Shin's eyes in return, nobody knows to what extent Celebi knows, but judging by how welcoming it was to a human, the Time Travel Pokémon probably knew quite a bit about Shin already. Shin blinked and looked away from Celebi, trying to pull himself together and reassure himself that all of this was real. Shin took a deep breath before saying exactly what came into his mind.

"…Celebi… I, I don't understand. It is true that I have been searching for you for the past 10 years, but I didn't expect it to be so soon. I would have waited if it took 50 years, and that's why I don't understand. I have done nothing to deserve your presence. I don't know of any messages to offer, I want to seek answers but all of what I wanted to ask has disappeared from my mind." Slightly amused by Shin's nervousness, the Time Travel Pokémon placed its tiny hand against his mouth. Celebi simply gave Shin another smile, as though to tell him that Shin had all the time he needed, and that he didn't have to be afraid.

The Guardian and Messenger stare at each other once again. Not a single Messenger in Shin's life had claimed that they saw the Guardian of the Forest; only con-artists that never fooled Shin, and Professor Oak, back when he was little. So many Messengers have wondered what message they would get to know when they see the eyes of Celebi. Shin was aware of this, but couldn't think of anything. As Shin stared, Celebi's eyes seemed to sparkle, and Shin simply kept staring in awe. Shin shook his head and dashed back towards the Lake of Life and sat down on the ground. He cupped his hands and scooped up the healing water and splashed it on his face. Shin took deep breaths and raised his head up to gaze at the moon. He had always imagined what an encounter would be like, but for some reason, he didn't think about how he would react himself, and this reaction that he gave Celebi was the last thing he had expected to come out of him.

Shin sat there for a while and closed his eyes, noticing that Celebi didn't fly towards him this time. When he was finally assured he was only imagining things, a mysterious warmth surround him. He opened his eyes and saw Celebi looking up to him, as though it was checking if Shin wasn't crying, only to realize that Shin in fact, was.

Celebi tilted its head and moved even closer to the Messenger. Though there were no words between the human and Pokémon, there was certainly an interaction from heart to heart. Shin wiped his eyes to see the Guardian of the Forest once again. As he did, something happened in Shin's heart: all of his troubles were leaving him and disappearing. Not a single day did Shin spend without thinking of the burning flames, but for the first time ever, those memories didn't get in the way of his vision. As though it knew what was going on in Shin's heart, Celebi nodded and playfully flew around him and came back.

At that moment, Shin instinctively reached over to Celebi, which gave the Pokémon an expression of relief, as though that's what it wanted from Shin this whole time. Celebi buries himself in Shin's chest and lets his messenger hold its small frame tightly. He couldn't help but wonder if any messenger in history had ever embraced the Guardian like this. Shin could feel Celebi's pulse and warmth heal him even more. As he closed his eyes and cradled the Guardian in endearment, he whispered out of his subconscious…

"Do you know of me?" Celebi nodded in response, which made a bundle of joy spread around him. But before he could fully understand the situation, he reminded himself about the whole purpose of his Pilgrimage: to find out what he had not known through the Guardian's wisdom. It was undeniably bewildering though. Celebi actually did not feel any different from any Pokémon he had ever cared for. No Pokémon was able to heal his heart to this extent, but the happiness of being with a Pokémon and feeling attached to it were all the same. In fact, holding the small Pokémon reminded him of those days when he was holding Chikorita. As Chikorita came back to his mind, Shin suddenly looked down at his sash, and glanced at the Pokéball in which that Chikorita, now a Meganium, was sleeping in.

Celebi noticed where Shin's attention was. Before he was able to let Meganium out to share the experience with his partner, Shin witnessed the Pokéball levitating away from his sash, and opening on its own, realizing that it was Celebi's powers that were doing it. As light shone from the Pokéball, Meganium raised his neck and yawned widely, wondering why he was let out in the middle of the night. It didn't take a while for Meganium to notice Celebi's eyes the way Shin did. Meganium was clearly shocked as well and walked a few steps behind, but after Celebi flew towards him and joyfully welcomed Shin's partner into the moment, Meganium smiled and understood Celebi's kindness. Meganium looked at Shin and nudged him, clearly understanding that this was an important moment and that Shin seemed more emotionless (even though it was the least accurate word to describe Shin) than he had anticipated.

As he felt the nudge, Shin looked at Meganium, and then back at Celebi, still not being able to forget what had just happened before Meganium arrived in the scene. Shin scooped up some water from the lake in his hands and splashed it in his face once again. After confusion, shock, and relief came anxiety and even intimidation. But all of that went away when Celebi moved its attention back to Shin and gave him a little nod. Celebi's little not felt like a message of reassurance that told Shin how everything was alright, and he had nothing to worry about. But more importantly, the Pokémon's presence gave him a message he never expected in his entire life: Even though its power was undeniable, starting from their encounter, Celebi was no different from any other Pokémon he had befriended. Celebi was especially friendly and welcomed him in open arms. The hard work seemed to have been done in his life at Arborville Forest, dedicating his life to his pilgrimage.

Meganium and Celebi were also instant friends, and Shin smiled at the sight as he moved over to a tree and leaned against it, gazing at the interaction. Celebi and Meganium moved their attention over to Shin once again and moved over towards him. Shin raised his head and smiled at them both, but the smile faded away as he realized how there was so much in his mind and that after encountering Celebi came the most difficult part. Even though he remained silent, Shin looked into Celebi's eyes once again and prepared himself. Shin took a deep breath and finally gained the courage to search for answers, he had waited long enough. Despite that, only one question came in mind, and it was instinctive.

"Celebi." Shin called the Guardian's name. "Thank you for being here. Thank you… But I must ask you something… Why? I just, I guess I was surprised and I didn't expect any of this. I don't even know how I'm supposed to talk to you. The Sage never told me anything about communicating with you and I just…" Shin was so flustered and Meganium moved over to his Partner and leaned his head against Shin's shoulder. As Meganium soothed his heart, Shin dropped the question from his mind and smiled, letting tears flow out of his eyes once again. "….Thank You… Thank You…"

After playfully floating around Shin and Meganium, Celebi started to fly away towards the Lake of Life, soaring above it and singing like a child. Before returning back over to Shin and Meganium, Celebi placed its hand in the lake, and the water rippled around the Guardian. Celebi smiled at the two and flew even further, urging the two to follow it. Meganium and Shin looked at each other and curiously started following the Pokémon.

The moonlight was hidden behind the top of the trees, and the nocturnal forest was almost pitch black, but somehow, they were able to see Celebi within darkness. Celebi flew around in circles. Shin chuckled at Celebi in endearment, enjoying the traits of the Guardian that nobody had ever told him about (or most likely even knew about). Its personality and appearance seemed like a symbol of life itself. None of the Messengers he knew were aware of Celebi's appearance, and he never asked Professor Oak. But he remembered how the Professor claimed that the poor Guardian was being chased by a hunter and his Pokémon. It was yet another sign that Celebi was just like any other Pokémon in the forest. He didn't expect such a childlike and innocent aura from what he and his family had worshipped for all of his life.

As Shin kept contemplating, Celebi flew over to a bush filled with berries, one that Shin had definitely visited before. As he stopped his feet, he witnessed Celebi eating one of the berries. It seemed like Celebi knew of this bush, and has had a taste of the berries before. It reminded Shin of himself when he first discovered the bush a few years into his life in the forest. They certainly were delicious, and Shin was already familiar with them from Towa's bread.

Celebi picked two berries and flew over to its two new friends, offering them and seemingly excited to share. Shin hesitantly took the berry out of Celebi's tiny hand, and popped it into his mouth, Meganium doing the same by lowering his neck and getting some help from the other Pokémon.

"You like these berries? So you are indeed familiar with this forest it seems. I'm glad I was led here. Everything here is beautiful. I wish Haya could have seen all of this…"

As his late brother's name came out of his own mouth, Shin's expression turned into a more serious one. Haya and his parents' death on his 10th birthday was when it all started, and every single decision he had made from keeping Chikorita as his partner and living with Towa and Diana here in Arborville Forest led him to this very moment.

"Celebi... Do you know about my life? How my parents and brother were killed in a forest back home and how I decided to come here? How I've been searching for you to find out what all of this meant?" To Shin's surprise, Celebi nodded. The Pokémon started flying once again. Shin quickly stepped on his foot and followed along. After being distracted by the berries he enjoyed, Meganium did the same.

Celebi kept flying around within the darkness of the forest. The group arrived at the stone Shrine, one that was built to honor the blending of Celebi's power and the forest. Shin was surprised to see Celebi stop at the Shrine. The Shrine had always been symbolic to him, but being here with the Guardian and his Partner was overwhelming.

"I'm still having a hard time accepting that this is all real." Shin confessed. "In fact, in a way I still think it's a dream. But…" Shin paused and took a deep breath. "I don't know where to start. I have so much that I want to know, that I need to know, but I don't know how to express any of it. I never wrote anything down, nor did I talk about it to anyone, even Meganium. All of it was just in my heart and I don't know how to convert them into words…"

After hearing Shin's words and feeling sympathetic, Celebi paused its flight and moved towards his head. The Guardian stared at his birthmark, which had been under Shin's left eye since the second he was born. Celebi gently touched it, leaving the gesture up to its Messenger's interpretation.

"I guess I can always try though…" Shin thought to himself. He looked at Celebi in the eyes and placed his hands together as though he were praying, but rather than closing his eyes like he had always done, he kept eye contact with the Guardian.

"Celebi, Guardian and Voice of the World's Forests," Shin began. "By now I'm aware that know why I've come here, and possibly the fact that I have been searching you here in this forest for a decade. As I said earlier, I can't express the purpose of my Pilgrimage in words, but if I were to try my best, it would be this: I must know, Celebi, if I am moving in the right direction, and what the death of my family and brother, and all of the creatures that called Viridian Forest home meant in the context of your Message. Celebi, in order to seek your voice I…" he paused and sighed the awkward formality fading away from Shin's voice. "To be honest, I still can't believe your presence, and how kind and gentle you are to me. I'm confident enough to say that I have tried my best to protect the Forest and live on by promising to you that I would be a contributor to nature. But I still don't understand what the forest fire meant. By now I am certain that it was beyond your control, and I apologize for even doubting it. I came here because I wanted to take the right steps, and in order to do so, I needed to seek answers, and now you're here right in front of me… If there was one thing I have to know right now, it would be this: the reason why you have come to me after all these years, and yet all so suddenly, what your presence indicates, and what it leads to. Please, Celebi. Please tell me."

Celebi listened attentively and seriously, showing the side of his role as Shin's Guardian for the first time. Celebi had witnessed all of the prayers, and have listened to every single of them from all over the world, both in Kanto, Johto, and even abroad. Celebi indeed had its reasons of being in front of this particular messenger, but Shin would find out about everything later in life, not too far away in the future. In spite of the intentions and wisdom that Celebi kept to itself, the Guardian responded to Shin's prayer with a simple nod.

Shin was clueless at that point, but as his subconscious helped him drop his praying hands by his side, he noticed Celebi's attention moving over to Meganium once again. The two Pokémon seemed to be communicating without voice. As a fellow Pokémon, Meganium seemed to understand Celebi's intention more than his partner, and obliged to Celebi's silent request as he waited for his own Pokéball to levitate and open up. Shin widened his eyes as Meganium returned into the Pokéball. As he looked at Celebi, hoping to understand the situation even better, he was left in awe when he heard the ringing sound.

Shin looked up into the sky as he heard the mythical and powerful sound. It was the Voice of the Forest… Soon, everything around him was glowing, and when Shin's attention moved back to Celebi, the Time Travel Pokémon was sparkling brightly. The Guardian of the Forest and its Messenger were surrounded by a large circle of light. By the time all of the glow and light flashed and disappeared under the moon, Celebi and Shin were nowhere in sight…

The Shrine, though old and covered in moss, stood gracefully on the ground.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

**Nimbasa City / 2 Months Later **

The bustling crowds of youths and entertainers at Nimbasa City hid N's escape as N kept running away. He wasn't able to avoid bumping into others, but he didn't want Shin to see him anymore.

"N… N… Wait! N!" Shin's voice echoed in his mind as he ran, a small part of his heart was already doubting and regretting the decision, but as he shook his head, he pushed those thoughts aside. N was able to run for a while, even though he couldn't avoid sweating from the sun. He started to lose his breath and finally paused his escape, hoping that Shin wouldn't be able to find him.

N caught his breath and wiped the sweat off of his chin. Even though he was far away from the amusement park, the Ferris Wheel was still visible from where N was standing. The area wasn't as crowded as other areas seemed to be, and N decides to lean against the wall, slowly falling down onto the ground.

N told himself that this was the right decision, and that his coincidental encounter with Shin was merely a detour of life. There were still plenty of things he didn't understand considering their first encounter, but N shook all of them away. His young self however, wouldn't leave his mind, and he thinks back at the barrage of emotions that suddenly came about.

After seeing the world where Pokémon and Humans were living harmoniously, followed by certain encounters and experiencing betrayal, and even a 2 year long journey of discovery, N thought he had everything together. He thought his quest was over, and he thought he would be able to start all over again. The strong impacts mostly came from the integration of human and Pokémon, which led to every single event that he passed by. Frustration boiled in N's mind as he realized that there was still more…

N remained sitting down on the wall. N remembered how this was a relatively darker area of the city, and that the citizens usually hid their Pokémon from the crowd. In return, he witnessed a world without Pokémon: which was what N originally wanted, but refused to step foot into.

In this world, couples were holding hands, and a group of boys were conversing loudly as they walked. There was even a small child being held tightly by her mother. For some reason, he wanted to look away. His heart was sinking with an emotion that he had never experienced since that night when a stranger opened the door to his room, 15 years ago. The 15 year old memory was too vague for the young man, but he remembered the sounds of humans arguing, and a human being taken away, even though N didn't want him to be taken away. It all ended with a familiar figure telling him that he saw nothing, having no clue what he meant at that time. But he subconsciously obliged to the demand.

_"Look at me. Listen, you didn't see anything! Forget about everything you just saw! You have nothing to do with it!"_

Those words were engraved in N's world, and somehow, he had forgotten about that particular incident for a very long time, as he was told to do. By the time he was crowned King of Team Plasma, he had absolutely no memory of this incident. It never came up during his 2 year long journey with the Legendary Pokémon either.

N kept sitting against the wall, looking down at his feet and trying to decipher the emotion he was experiencing. The loud conversations and other voices were distracting, and N stood up and walked over to an even more secluded alley.

Something stopped him though, and he looked back at the world of joy and peace between humans. As Shin's kindness flashed back into before his eyes, it was at that moment when he realized that it was the feeling of loneliness that was pushing his heart onto the ground. N shook his head and walked towards the alley. He was finally on his own, and he sat down, this time against an old brick wall. It wasn't the cleanest place to sit, with glass bottles and other trash remaining next to him, but he was too preoccupied, and he didn't even care much to begin with.

N may have been separated from everybody else for a large portion of his life, but he was never alone in his life. Somebody was present in every single memory he had: the Pokémon that he cared for, his own "Father," Team Plasma members that helped him and were loyal to his beliefs and were on his side, Anthea, Condordia, and the Legendary Pokémon that was supposed to complete the storyline. They were all balloons that were securely attached to him. But once his mission to stop Ghetsis' plan had ended, all of them floated away, which indicated a new beginning, and the balloons flying away didn't cause any of the emotions he was dealing with at that moment. Then why is he feeling this way all of the sudden, ever since he returned to Nimbasa City?

"Shin…"

As N heard himself whisper his name, things started to get clearer by the second, there was one balloon that he forgot he had, but had always been attached to him. He was finally able to set it free, but that one balloon was stubborn and refused to fly.

By then, N was absolutely motionless in the secluded alley, and he was unable to explain the tears that poured out of his eyes. He was facing the reality that as long as he felt loneliness, Shin wouldn't fly away from his world (and possibly vice versa). N couldn't handle the sound of his sobbing and covered his face, hiding his eyes red, and tears dripping of from his hands. Did he make the wrong decision? As he asked himself, those two cold words came back to his head…

"_Good Riddance."_

Those words came from Shin. Shin said 'Good Riddance' to Team Plasma, not to any individual or group of members, but to the ideology itself: particularly the one he was involved in. Had Shin known who N used to be, Shin would have said 'Good Riddance' to him as well.

N thought back at his memories of Shin from the past few days, and he remembered Shin being together with his Meganium, his love for nature, and a strong dedication to the world of Pokémon through life, pilgrimage, and worship. Shin was undeniably the symbol of everything N had learned in the world of harmony. As he began to feel a tremendous sense of respect towards him, he wanted to leave Shin alone. He wanted Shin to be happy, without any threats, fear, or memories that potentially haunted him.

As he moved his hand towards his puzzle and started playing with it, that voice started to ask him questions again…

"_Who are you?"_

"I am the King of Team Plasma. I am nothing more than a freak without a human heart."

"_Who is Shin?"_

"Someone I've met before, and got reunited with."

"_How did you two meet for the first time?"_

"I'm not sure myself. It seems more complex than what I can remember."

"_Why did you run away from him?"_

"Because he deserved to be left alone. I didn't want him to be disturbed by my existence."

"_Is that the truth?"_

"Yes."

"_Is that the truth?"_

"…Yes."

_"Is that the truth?"_

"...Why wouldn't it be?"

"_Are you a liar?"_

"…What?"

"_You were afraid of Shin abandoning you after figuring out your past, and that's why you decided to cut ties with him before you would ever have to experience that. How cowardly. But nonetheless You know that's the tru-_

The voice was interrupted by the shattering of glass. N looked across him and saw a shattered glass bottle, realizing that he had thrown it against the wall in frustration. Shin stared at the hand that threw the glass bottle and let out a feral scream that sounded more like a Pokémon's cry than a human scream.

"_Don't worry… it's okay… I won't hurt you…"_

That soft fraternal voice, the warmth of his embrace, the scent of the forest, his heartbeat, his anxious breathing, N remembered all of it, and his the love that he felt more fragile and purer than anything he had experienced. He didn't want to lose it. He couldn't stand the idea of Shin abandoning him. That was why he decided to let go before he would be betrayed or abandoned like he was by his own father.

But with the absence of Shin, N had lost everything. In his heart and mind were his memories and his life lessons, but everything he thought he possessed had all flown away from him. N was finally able to accept the fact that he was human, but at the same time, he was a human being with intelligence and experience that would lead to nowhere.

N stood up and finally left the alley and walked back into the main street. He looked up into the sky, glancing at the Ferris Wheel and the clouds hovering over. After all that he had experienced, if this is how it was at that moment, N was certainly ready for yet another path, even though it was different from the one he had originally found. He whispered a farewell to his favorite Ferris Wheel in his heart and walked back into the Alley.

He had only one place to go to…


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

**Nimbasa City / Meanwhile**

Shin wiped the sweat off of his face and tried his best to catch his breath as he looked for N. Even though he didn't know the reason or even the cause, Shin knew that he had hurt N in some way, and that he had broken his 15 year long promise.

But as he finally started to breathe normally again, the loud music felt louder, and the crowds of people seemed larger. He how he could possibly find N in this Metropolitan crowd. But he had to. After finding out that his encounter with Celebi and N were all real, Shin was starting to get a clear idea of why he was brought here to Unova. Losing N felt like losing himself. It was only 2 months ago, and it reminded him of all of the love he had missed for a very long time. Shin could still remember the embrace, and how he didn't want that little boy to cry anymore. As he felt helpless in the middle of the city, Shin heard a familiar voice…

"Shin? Are you alright?" Shin widened his eyes and looked behind him, seeing the gentleman with his cane and gentle appearance that he was very familiar with. But Shin was too distracted to notice his eyes of concern.

"Mr. Klein!" Shin yelled. Normally, it would have been a delight to see him, but all he could think about was getting help from him. He immediately asked the Gentleman. "Mr. Klein, have you seen a boy with long green hair and a black and white cap?" Mr. Klein blinked and looked back into his morning and afternoon.

"Hmm, that sounds familiar… but I don't think I've seen anyone like that recently." Shin hardly paid any attention once he found out that Mr. Klein may have possible clues.

"It sounds familiar!? Where did you see him? I might be able to find him there. Is there anything you can remember!? Anything!?" Mr. Klein has never seen Shin so anxious and rushed.

"Shin, calm yourself! Who is this you are looking for?" For a moment Shin couldn't help but ask himself who N was to him, but now was not the time to go further with any of these thoughts.

"He's a… friend. I lost him, and I need to find him, I need to talk to him. Mr. Klein, please. Is there anything you can remember?" As the old gentleman rubbed his chin, Shin patiently waited for a response, keeping an eye on his surroundings while doing so.

That was when he noticed boy in his teens staring at him. It was the boy with the Vileplume that N had interacted with earlier. Shin could have gotten clues from any individual at that point. Before Shin could run over to him, the boy and the Vileplume walked towards Shin and Mr. Klein. As the boy approached him, Shin anxiously started talking to him.

"Hey… You were near the Amusement Park earlier… Have you seen the young man that was with me a while ago? The one with the green hair and white shirt? The one that your Vileplume walked towards?" The boy remained silent. The truth was that he had know clue where he went, but after getting his memory of N back, the boy wondered if he should really help anybody find him. Shin tried his best to patiently wait for any response until Mr. Klein shouted out.

"Oh!" Mr. Klein snapped his fingers and looked at Shin. "I believe I asked him for directions a few days ago. But he didn't seem to want to help an old man like me." That was clearly before N and Shin got reunited, and Shin questioned how helpful that information could have been. That was when the boy finally opened his mouth to speak.

"I remember him…"

Shin widened his eyes and stepped closer to the boy and the Vileplume, kneeling down towards the relatively short teenager and grippig onto his shoulders.

"You know him!?" The boy nodded before he a stack of new questions came from Shin. "From where? Do you know where he lives? Do you know where he's from?" Instead of responding, the boy looked at his Vileplume and then back at Shin, tilting his head and wondering if he was a former member of Team Plasma member as well. If he was, he wondered if it was a good idea to give any information to his family's former enemy. He wasn't exactly convinced, but having learned so much about security, the boy quickly took out his Pokéball and opened it, hiding Vileplume from Shin. Shin was puzzled, still waiting for a response. "Well?" After securing his Pokéball onto his belt, the boy finally responded.

"He told me that I was wrong, and that I needed to listen to Vileplume more, back when she was still an Oddish. It was at Pinwheel Forest." Shin had absolutely no idea what the boy was talking about until Mr. Klein joined into the conversation. Mr. Klein chuckled.

"Hehe, it sounds like something Team Plasma would have done." Shin looked at Mr. Klein as the Boy nodded.

"I think he was involved with them. I heard a lot about Team Plasma afterwards and I put it together with what he told me, it all made sense. Alsso, he was nice to Oddish, but he wasn't very nice to me." Mr. Klein's old memory started to come back, as he heard the boy's story.

"Green long-haired boy… You know, now that I think about it, I think I've seen him a few times. He would often stare at the Ferris Wheel over there. I remembered him because he somewhat resembled that frightening man from Team Plasma that tried to convince others to set their Pokémon free. He was on his own most of the time, but I think he went on the Ferris Wheel with someone about your age." The conversation shifted towards Mr. Klein and the young boy based on better knowledge of what had taken place in Unova throughout their lives.

"I remember him too. I saw him in the news. He did kinda look like that person I met at Pinwheel Forest. His eyes were blue. I remember them pretty well. He told me that the Messengers of the Forest were wrong, or whatever he was trying to say. But I decided to keep Oddish anyway. I took his advice though, and brought her to the back to the forest once in a while. Yeah, I can see him being a Team Plasma member. He seemed to resent the idea that I caught Oddish simply to help her."

"The Messengers of the Forest?" Dr. Klein tilted his head as those words caught his attention. The boy nodded, at first hesitant to talk about his background, but wondering why he should be ashamed of it at all.

"I'm one of the Messengers of the Forest. My Mom and Dad and I live here now, but we used to live near Pinwheel Forest. That's where our Mass took place. It was so much smaller than our Masses over here though." Mr. Klein blinked and widened his lips for a smile, feeling rather happy to hear this news, tapping Shin's shoulder.

"Well, what do you know, guess who's also a fellow Messenger!" He looked over to Shin, who by then had his back towards the two. Mr. Klein was puzzled at Shin being so emotionless, he thought he would be excited to here something like this. He walked a few steps to face his face, rather than his back. "…Shin? Did you hear that? …Shin? Shin are you…"

Mr. Klein gasped as he saw the state that Shin was in: he was shivering, and his eyes were wide open, and they didn't blink, not even once. He was practically frozen and was staring at air. He looked horrified and pale. He couldn't hear Dr. Klein's voice of concern, but he was finally able to speak, even though his voice was raspy that it almost sounded like a whisper.

"…N? Team Plasma?" A throe of guilt took over Shin's mind and heart as he walked a few steps and leaned against the wall nearby…

"_Heh, Good Riddance. I don't know what they were thinking, but Team Plasma had it all wrong… believing that it was the best to separate them from their friends was utterly asinine."_

If everything he learned from the boy and Mr. Klein were based on the truth, Shin wanted to attack himself for saying that in the face of someone that was involved with Team Plasma. Even worse, it was the last person he wanted to hurt, and his involvement with Team Plasma didn't matter.

Even though Shin was still skeptical, he was even more horrified to realize that it all made perfect sense…

**The Castle / 15 Years Ago**

Shin and N suddenly heard a banging on the door behind them, the the men that were chasing Shin had found him and barged in.

"There he is!" One of them yelled. While N stared with confusion, Shin stood up and prepared to take Meganium out of his Pokéball. But before he knew it, they grabbed his arms and legs. Shin groaned and retaliated, but he was no match to a group of grown men.

"Let me go! Let… me… go!" As Shin kept retaliating, he saw a small glimpse of N. Their eyes met one last time when N watched Shin being dragged out of his room. Shin's sight was quickly blocked by other members in the same uniform that moved over towards , and another tall older individual that had the same hair color as the little boy. He didn't see much, but it seemed like they were telling him something.

By then, Shin was taken out of the room and sent back to the door of the strange castle-like structure. During his attempt of retaliation, he saw a symbol that seemed to be on every uniform. He didn't see it very well, but it was a shield, one half white and the other black, with a large "P" engraved in blue…

**Nimbasa City / 15 Years Later**

"Shin? Shin!?" Shin came back to his senses when Mr. Klein managed to shake him to get his attention. Shin gasped and stared at Mr. Klein. He still looked shocked and frozen.

"Shin, you look awful. Are you sure you're alright?" Shin didn't answer, but instead, gave the old man an apology.

"Mr. Klein, I'm sorry… I have to go…" Shin ran away from the scene not a moment later. He ran as the need to find N and talk to him boiled up even more. He cursed at himself for even bringing up Team Plasma in the first place. The worst part of it was that he was being honest, though clueless. He tried to put it all together as he kept running.

"Was N a member of Team Plasma? Did I not only insult Team Plasma, but also N himself? Is that why N ran away from me? I can't believe I didn't give him a chance to tell me!" But the most important questions came last…

"Was… Was N living in the hideout of Team Plasma? Is that where Celebi took me..?"


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

? / 15 Years Ago

Shin opened his eyes as Celebi gave his head a little tap to heal his consciousness. The last thing Shin could remember was the flashing of lights and a mythical sound that surrounded what seemed like the entire forest.

"Celebi…Mega…!" Shin quickly looked at his sash, sighing in relief as he was reassured that Meganium was still with him. Celebi floated in the air and waited for Shin to stand up, preparing itself to lead the way even further. Shin rubbed his eyes and looked around. After hearing so many legends and stories, it did not take Shin long to realize that Celebi had taken him to a different time, and apparently different forest. For that matter, Shin even wondered if this was Johto. All of the plants and trees were very unfamiliar. He looked at Celebi with a concerned look.

"Celebi… Where am I?" Instead of responding, Celebi flies around Shin and then heads towards a certain direction, urging Shin to follow along. Shin obliged and stood up, brushing his long hair from his face. He didn't see any reason to feel skeptical about the Guardian of the Forest.

Shin followed Celebi in silence, still having no idea where he was being taken. There were too many questions unanswered, and he realized the irony of how everything seemed more and more confusing as time went by, when the purpose of encountering Celebi was intended to lead to clearance and a better understanding of everything. As he stared at Celebi fly, he realized that he still couldn't believe any of this was actually happening, hence all Shin was able to do was go with the flow and literally follow Celebi and expect it to show him the way. The Guardian's flight was so childlike and eccentric. Celebi seemed to be enjoying all of this as it sings and cries continuously. This sense of innocence was certainly unexpected for Shin, but wasn't unfamiliar. It reminded him of Haya.

Shin was fortunate. He was born in a happy family, and even though he lost it, the moment in life where he was completely lost was temporary. He was encouraged by Professor Oak, and was provided a stable life by Diana and Towa, Meganium always beside him, and finally here was Celebi, after all these years. While Shin was clueless, the presence of the Guardian itself provided an overwhelming sense of not only shock, but also relief, and even joy. However, he couldn't deny the fact that he was able to accept every single moment of his life the way it was. He remembered the countless days when he would wake Towa up in the middle of the night by crying out of homesickness and grief. But it wasn't because he was alone. After all, he was surrounded by wonderful Pokémon and people. Shin was taught to care for others, and he felt like he had been cared for, but aside from Meganium, he wondered if ever had a chance to help somebody that needed the sort of love that Shin was given. Finally, he asked himself if Celebi knew about all of this. Celebi was powerful yet innocent, and Godly yet approachable. He still could feel the warmth of Celebi when he held him tightly earlier. He missed caring and providing love for something so fragile. It was an instinct he was born with. Even if it was for a small while, it made his heart glow. In fact, he feared the idea of ever saying farewell to Celebi. Where was Celebi taking him in the first place? He didn't even know if he was in the past or the future…

Celebi and Shin travelled for a while, and Shin was starting to get tired. He noticed that the forest trees were becoming scarcer and the cloudy sky was more visible. As he lowered his head, he looked down and found a piece of trash. That was when Shin realized that they were at the edge of the forest, and that Celebi was getting closer and closer to the human world. Celebi stopped and quickly turned back towards Shin. The Pokémon tilted its head and nudged Shin with its tiny hand. Shin looked into Celebi's eyes, with a rather serious look.

"Celebi… Are you taking me outside of the forest? Can you answer that?" Celebi nodded, giving him a clear response for the first time. Shin sighed.

"In that case, tell me where to go, and I will let Meganium help me find the way." Celebi was confused. It flew towards Shin even closer and sat on his shoulder. Shin was flattered, but his priority was elsewhere.

"Celebi, I don't want you leaving the forest. Any forest. Not because you're the Guardian of the Forest, but because you are a Legendary Pokémon. I don't consider you as one, and I never will. You are friendlier to me than any Pokémon has ever been, aside from Meganium. But the world won't understand that. I don't want to see you take any risk of being chased after, and I know you've experienced that in the past. Show me the way, Celebi, or at least tell me where I am supposed to land to, and then I will go on my own."

For once, the childlike Pokémon was quiet, never anticipating such words from any Messenger. Shin's Guardian didn't want the young man to feel any worse, but Celebi decided to dismiss Shin's request, even though it knew that Shin wouldn't accept that. The Pokémon looked at the sky for a second, and then at Shin. After a little melancholic smile, the Pokémon flew away further towards the end of the forest. Surprised, Shin panicked and chased after the Guardian.

"Celebi! Wait! Where are you going!? Celebi!" As Shin screamed the Guardian's name, he heard a large roar of thunder in the sky, followed by droplets of rain that fell down stronger and stronger by the second. After being distracted by the rain, Shin realized that he had completely lost sight of Celebi. He was worried about Celebi's life, but was also afraid of being left alone in the middle of a different time period.

"CELEBI!" Shin felt abandoned, but as the rain drenched Shin's clothes, he needed to run away and find shelter. There were no caves in the forest, and the lightning made it too dangerous for him to stay under the trees. Shin ran towards the outskirts of the forest to find shelter. Perhaps if he found somebody, they could tell him what date it was, and where he was, and how to get back to Arborville. Who knows what Arborville would be like in a different time period? But it was better to stay there until Celebi reappeared, if that were to ever happen.

Shin's long hair was soaked in the rain, and his eyes captured lightning behind the clouds. After the long walk in the forest and the sudden escape from rain, Shin was exhausted and almost powerless. But he couldn't stop until he found another human being, or at least shelter. The trees that protected him from the droplets of rain were gone by then, and Shin was outside of the forest. The ground was getting bumpier and there were more rocks than grass. It didn't take much time for Shin to trip on one of them and fall onto the ground.

Shin caught his breath in the midst of the heavy rain, but he couldn't give up. He grabbed a rock in his hand and stood up. Now was not the time to worry about any bruises or scrapes. Shin began running once more, but his pace slowed down as he stared in awe. He had witnessed something more extravagant than he had ever seen in his entire life, and he thought he was imagining things for a second. He slowly walked closer towards what was a gargantuan structure. It was surrounded by darkness, and only the flashes of lightning were able to provide Shin with a clear view of it. Shin wondered if it was abandoned. Even though he was slightly horrified, perhaps this might provide what Shin needed. The structure seemed like it was growing larger and larger as he walked quickly towards it. After a while, Shin was overwhelmed by its size. It looked more like a wall, or even some sort of castle…

**Nimbasa City Pokémon Center / 15 Years Later**

"A castle… a mansion… whatever it was…" Shin was whispering to himself as he was sitting down on a chair with a book on the table in front of him. He flipped the pages of a collection of maps of the entire region in order to find the Castle where Shin landed during his encounter with Celebi. He couldn't see it anywhere, and the book had hundreds of pages. He didn't even know where to start. He asked himself if that was even where he would find N. But it was certainly a place to start, as it seemed to be N's only home as far as what he had been told.

The visitors of the Pokémon Center were staring at Shin. His look of desperation was rather intimidating, especially with Shin's eccentric attire. Some of them even walked away from him. Some were tempted to ask if everything was all right, but none of them had the courage to do so.

Shin slammed and shut the book of maps and noticed the attention he was getting. He wasn't able to find anything on his own. All he could do was ask…

"Excuse me, do any of you know if there's some sort of Mansion or Castle… or some large structure near a large forest?" The crowd looked at each other and whispered, but none of them seemed to have any clue, particularly with Shin's vague description. Finally, a middle-aged woman responded.

"We have no idea to be quite honest but… Is everything alright?" Shin responded with silence. There was no time for him to explain the entire story. He didn't even know how to explain it himself. He just needed to find N and give the sincerest of apologies. He wanted N back in his life, and he was afraid that he wouldn't return if Shin didn't find him. He opened the book and flipped the pages once again, trying to calm down and find the forests of Unova, and search the maps near the forests, one by one…

Shin continued flipping the pages helplessly until another visitor of the Pokémon Center sat next to him. He looked familiar, and his flashy shirt, his large backpack and professional camera answered everything. The man noticed Shin's stares and wondered what the attention was all about, only to realize it was someone he met just a couple of months ago.

"M-Mill?" Shin asked cautiously. The middle-aged man smiled widely.

"Hey! I remember you! Uhhhh, 'Shin!?' You were over at Arborv… What are you doing over here? Wow… small world." Mill laughed at his own comments and gave Shin a thumbs-up and a handshake. Shin couldn't believe what a miracle this was. He tried to dig deep into the conversation they had back in Johto. After the handshake was done, he pushed the large book aside. Mill also noticed Shin's insecurity.

"Well you look rather panicky. Is everything alright?" Not a moment later, Shin quickly responded with a question of his own.

"Mill… You've travelled around different forests, right?" Mill was confused at the question that came out of the blue.

"Why yes. In fact I was just sharing everybody what I made and the photos I took over in Joht-"

"What about Unova?" Shin interrupted, hardly listening to Mill's conversational responses. "Have you travelled around different forests in Unova?" Slightly disappointed at the interruption, Mill still felt like he should respond. Shin was clearly not in the calm state he remembered him for.

"Of course… I was born and raised here. But, why do you ask?" Shin finally showed a smile of relief and hopefulness, trying to calm himself down even more after realizing that his adrenalines were making him shake and shiver. Mill's frown changed back into a smile.

"I… I need your help…"

"Well, what can I do for you?" Mill asked. He placed his backpack and camera underneath the table. It looked like he was going to be there for a little while.

"I'm looking for a castle, or some sort of large structure that I really don't know what to call. All I know that it's near a forest, and I don't know where this forest was. Since you've travelled around this region, I thought maybe you could help me find this place." Mill smiled widely and gave him a thumbs-up. He seemed to enjoy the fact that his experience may provide a tremendous amount of help for another individual. Mill loved chatting and helping, and he was able to do both at that moment.

"Well… You said it was a castle?" He pulled over the book of maps and flipped the pages. He was clearly more used to the use of maps, especially of Unova. Shin nodded.

"Yes, but again… I don't know what it is, but it's just looked like a castle. That's what it seemed like on the inside." Mill moved his focus back to Shin.

"The inside? Wait, you have been there before?" Shin nodded slowly to the confused traveller.

"It's… it's really hard to explain, but anyway, I just need to go back there." Mill scratched his head, not having a clue of where to start with such little information.

"Is there anything else you know? Like what you saw inside this… 'castle?'" Shin bit his lower lip and nodded again.

"Now that I think about it, it may have been a sort of hideout." This didn't help Mill's confusion at all. He needed much more information in order to help Shin.

"A castle that's also a hideout? Never heard of that one before… But anyway, go on…" Shin responded slowly and hesitantly.

"…I think… I think it was Team Plasma's hideout." Mill widened his eyes, releasing the book pages from his grasp.

Shin noticed quite a few others nearby staring at him, obviously reacting to the name of that particular organization…


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17  
The Castle / 2 Days Later**

N confronted the castle and took a deep breath. Only a week ago, he thought he would never return, but being reunited with Shin and being stabbed by his words made him realize that this was where he belonged and nowhere else.

He asked himself if he would have returned here, had he not encountered Shin, but he was able to answer the question quite easily. Something would have brought him here, whatever or whomever it may have been. It happened to be Shin, someone who came into his life for 5 minutes, and then left out of his memory for a very long time. Even though he couldn't remember what happened that night, he clearly remembered Ghetsis' demand to forget about what had happened. Despite his countless clashes with Ghetsis, N could still feel the strings keeping him in control. Nobody would ever be able to change that.

N walked into the Castle, and after walking around, his subconscious took him to the chamber where he was crowned. The chamber was dusty and torn, but the eerie beauty of it still lived. N walked along the carpet and reenacted that very night on his own. He sat down on his throne. He was once more reassured about how irrelevant Shin was to his life. Shin entering his room didn't influence a single event in the Castle. Despite the intrusion against Ghetsis' plan, he was crowned, he was a puppet of Ghetsis', and he was forced to reconsider himself.

Shin remembered back when he was travelling with the Legendary Pokémon. He asked himself what he would have done if the Pokémon weren't there at that very moment. Whether or not they made a difference in N's life, his encounters were filled with surprises amongst both Pokémons and humans. As N tapped his fingers on his throne, he noticed how all of these intruders tied up. Each and every one of these intruders has taught him that Pokémon and humans were integrated, and that he was wrong. N smirked very quietly as a strange sense of pride appeared in his mind. This smirk wasn't the first, however. He always smiled with pride and a little bit of joy when he came to a conclusion from anything that had nothing to do with calculating or counting. He proved himself that he was able to think with his right brain…

N stuck to the conclusion that he had discovered. Natural Harmonia Gropius was not only used, but was wrong for almost his entire life. In spite of learning lessons and realizing his mistakes, the very core of his belief: that Pokémon and Humans did not belong with each other was far from reality. N sat up and walked down the hallway from his throne, slightly overwhelmed by the decision he was making. He definitely had regrets and doubts, but they were all sidetracks and detours. They would have all led to the same place.

"I'm almost there…" N mumbled to himself. "I was placed at one side of this carpet, and I kept walking. Finally, I'm almost there… I just have to take a few more steps, and reach the other side of the carpet, and for once I'm sure nobody will push me away from this carpet anymore…"

As he moved to one of the hundreds of hallways in the Castle, N leaned and sat down against a wall large wall within the castle, closing his eyes and trying to reach the final assurance to his decision. He started to think about those that appeared in his life out of nowhere. Shin was irrelevant at this point, and N was finally able to push him aside. He thought of that Pokémon Trainer that defeated both him and Ghetsis, along with helping with his cause to stop Ghetsis. He gave that Pokémon trainer the stone because that trainer was the only individual he knew he could trust the Legendary Pokémon with. After continuous battles with that trainer, he had come to the conclusion that the world was much more complex and mysterious than he had ever known. Had he truly been King, he would have had control over it, but he didn't. He was merely a puppet figure that was clueless, ignorant, and pathetic. The worst part of it was that this had been planned for practically his entire life. He was trapped, and Shin had a chance to take him out of the trap, but he didn't. He left him and this very moment was the final result.

As his eyes wandered around, he noticed the large tapestry depicting the emblem of Team Plasma. It was the emblem he was controlled by, and was stuck with. The sole idea of Team Plasma tore him into pieces. Nonetheless, despite the lies and trap he had fallen into, he was still a loyal member. Finding out about the truth stung more than anything else he had ever experienced. When Ghetsis' confession about his true intentions came back to his mind, all N could do was laugh.

He laughed quite loudly, and his voice echoed through the walls of the castle. He imagined the day Shin would find out about Team Plasma, and how he would be laughing at him the same way. All of this was a mere joke, and it was all planned: it was a prank that Team Plasma put on him. It was perfectly natural for N to be the way. None of it was his fault and nor was it Team Plasma's. If there was anything superficial that N resented the most, it was the idea of fate, that the most unpredictable events could occur and change one's life forever. But Shin proved him wrong once again. During his childhood when he was shunned from the entire world, he was the one piece of the world that didn't surround him, and he made absolutely no difference. Everything went according to plan until he was able to find out about the truth…

No matter who he encountered, he was a human being that questioned the borders between the world of Pokémon and Humans. N kept his history with him, and never let go of it. He tried his best. He was proud of his accomplishments. But his ideology was simply wrong. He considered himself a miscalculated formula. He can leave the rest to all of the individuals that lived on this Planet: those that had the right answer. Everything was okay, and that was when he came to the final conclusion. He stood up and walked towards a room on the same floor within that hallway. He opened up the door, and was convinced that this was where it all began, and it was also where it was going to end…

**Nimbasa City Pokémon Center / 2 Days Ago**

"Team Plasma's hideout?" Mill whispered. "I can definitely give you some information, but I don't know if it will help if you're looking for where they used to be headquartered that. They were very good at keeping secrets." Mill's response didn't disappoint Shin. His eyes were desperate.

"Please tell me anything you know. Any detail would help." Convinced, Mill started to think back into his memory.

"Well… I can say that the entire region considered Team Plasma to be odd. Everyone, including myself, never even thought about the benefits of releasing all of the Pokémon out into the wild and take them out of our lives. But a lot of the citizens actually started to be persuaded because Team Plasma thought they were doing the right thing, and that there was no sense of evil plan behind all of it. Of course, they were all wrong."

Mill continued for a while, and Shin listened attentively. Shin certainly learned something, because for once he made the decision to know the details. In the past two months, even though a lot of folks were talking about past experiences, he ignored most of them. He scratched the surface of Team Plasma's history, and decided not to get into it at all. He was glad that he arrived in Unova after all of this had happened. He spent his entire life believing by default that Pokémon and Humans lived together and how that was the key to protect and help nature. After a moment of silence, Mill apologized and stood up from his chair.

"Listen… Shin, I have to go now. Artists can't have a good idea and push it aside for later. But I'm so happy that you're in Unova now. You're a great person, and I wanna talk to you very soon!" Shin was surprised at Mill's sudden departure. He stood up and almost tried to stop him, but he smiled sheepishly and sat back down when he saw Mill's big friendly smile and his thumbs up. He didn't want to drag Mill into this any further. From the way he was talking, Team Plasma had affected the Region more than he imagined.

By the time Shin left the Pokémon Center, the sky was dark but Nimbasa City was still bustling and busy. Shin needed some time to think in silence. He wanted to find N as soon as possible, but he gained absolutely no information regarding where he was, and he was exhausted. He sighed and walked back towards the quiet street that led to the Teahouse.

The streets were finally getting quieter, but Shin was screaming in his mind. He loathed himself and needed to be reunited with N for the second time. There was a chance that N wouldn't even want to talk to him, but he had to try.

As he kept walking, he noticed that he wasn't alone. He gasped and stepped back as he noticed that the stranger was wearing rather shady-looking clothing. But the stranger who turned out to be an old Man with a long white beard. For some reason, he looked familiar, and usually he would ask if he needed help, but he remained silent, having a gut-feeling that he shouldn't interfere with him. He nodded to the old man and moved his head away very quickly. He kept walking his way back home.

"You're still looking for someone aren't you?"

As Shin heard the old man speak to him, he froze and stood there. Shin looked at the old man and questioned his integrity.

"…Excuse me?"

"Your friend: his name is N." Shin widened his eyes and moved towards him. He slightly resembled a magician or some sort of wizard with the robe. As they stared at each other, Shin was even more convinced that he knew this man from somewhere.

"How do you know about this?" Shin asked cautiously.

"I came to Nimbasa City to secretly watch over Lord N. I wanted to know if he was all right. When I found him, I saw you and he ran away from you. Lord N is the most intelligent boy I have ever met, but at the same time, he was a prisoner who didn't get to blend in with everybody else, and quite frankly I wasn't surprised that something caused him to run away…"

"…Lord, N?" Shin was glad to see someone who knew N so well and was mystified by what the old man called him. What did 'Lord' even mean in this context? Shin stared at the man's eyes, and before going into any further detail that might help him, he wanted to know who this man was.

"Who are you? How do you know N?" Shin wanted to shout out these questions, but he tried his best to stay calm. He had enough emotions to deal with, and now was not the time to add one in.

"My name is Rood." Rood ended his introduction there, but hoping to find out more than simply his name, he remained silent, expecting more from him. Rood seemed to notice this, and he continued his introduction. "I am, or was one of the Seven Sages of Team Plasma, and Lord N was our King. Well, not exactly. It was part of a pl-"

"K-King?" Shin interrupted, not letting Rood finish his further explanation. "I mea, so N was part of Team Plasma" he sighed, finally knowing that his assumption was true… But, what do you mean by King?"

"You deserve to know about us. I've never seen any human being outside of our world care so much about N, and I want to help you." Rood continued on to explain, and Shin remained silent. He would have listened to Rood for hours and hours, but that was only until he realized that there was very little information that came out of Rood that Shin couldn't handle.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

**The Castle / 15 Years Ago**

Under his shiver from the rain, Shin stared at the Castle, trying to decipher its whole shape and structure under the dark cloudy sky. The more Shin stared, he realized that structure was more overwhelming than Shin had imagined in the very beginning. The peculiarity of the castle made him wonder what architecture style or design this was called.

After the wet cloth made him shiver once more, Shin realized that this was the dry shelter that he needed. He wondered if they would let him stay for one night; even for a few hours until Shin is warmed up and the rain stops. But in the end, he couldn't stay inside for too long. He needed to be reunited with Celebi. It was obviously the will to be back home to Arborville Forest that caused him to feel so desperate, but the biggest thought in his heart was the have the Guardian beside him. After finally encountering Celebi, Shin noticed how it was able to heal the sadness from his heart, one scratch at a time.

Shin ran towards the Castle, noticing a wall that was roofed and would finally let him be able to avoid the rain. After being able to escape the rain, Shin felt the need to stay against the roofed wall. He looked around, trying to figure out which direction he should go to in order to find the entrance (if there was any. Even that was questionable). With no success, Shin casually lowered his head and widened his eyes and dropped his jaw as he found a small square with a handle on the side. The door's size and where it was place made it seem like a secret passageway. Shin's feeling of eccentricity towards whoever lived here grew as he imagined what the door was for. But when the young man realized that could be what he was looking for, he lowered himself enough to fit through the door. A sudden thought of guild occurred when Shin pondered the fact that he would be entering without any permission or invitation. It was practically sneaking into someone else's house like a burglar. But as he started to doubt the decision to go inside on his own, a chill ran down his spine, and he instinctively slid the door open. He couldn't take the coldness of his drenched clothes for any longer, and he entered through the door, seeking warmth and hoping that he would be forgiven…

When Shin opened the door, there was no secret hole or corridor along the way. He was directly led to one of the eerie, yet fascinating hallway. The small sliding door was clearly one for secret shortcuts or quick entries. Being clueless of who would be living in such a castle, Shin did not stop feeling guilty coming in. These were practically bets: one being the fact that he would find anybody in the first place, and whether or not the residents would have mercy for Shin as he was lost under the rain. Shin asked himself as he stood up and gazed at the hallway. What would a young man be doing here under the rain, and being lost in the forest? Even though he wasn't trying to lie, Shin started thinking of a way to explain himself, particularly without Celebi or time travel being involved in it. He wouldn't dare talk about his encounter with anybody else, nor the mere fact that he had travelled through time.  
He wanted to use Meganium for some light, but with no sun whatsoever, it wouldn't have worked, and he wondered if the presence of a Pokémon would have any impact on his impression. He decided to leave Meganium out of this, promising himself to let Meganium meet Celebi the moment they would reencounter.

Shin couldn't help but wonder why the hallway was so dark. But considering that the lights were dimmed and not completely extinguished, he knew that the castle wasn't deserted. As Shin kept his hand on the wall to avoid bumping into anything, he felt a doorknob and let out a tiny gasp. Quickly covering his mouth, he slowly glanced at the door and leaned his ear against it, wondering if anybody was inside. Once he confirmed the absence across the door, he went into the room. If the residents were asleep, it was best that he simply kept himself dry and left immediately once the rain had stopped.

The room looked like an office, but the feel of it matched the eccentric design of the walls and hallway. The light was once again dimmed but not turned off and this time he was able to get a glimpse of the furnishing. The room was indeed peculiar and felt as though it was designed based on a disorganized mixture of futuristic style and old. He closed the door shut and looked around, noticing one of the items that he was desperately in need of: a calendar. Shin smiled in relief and quickly walked towards it, entering further into the room. Shin shook his head in confusion as he finally discovered the time that Celebi had taken him.

"…15 Years…?" The year was 15 years before the time he lived in. As he glanced at the desk, he noticed tools of communication that he had never seen before, and those objects that he was familiar with, but never imagined to see one being in use.

Shin immediately pondered about his own life 15 years ago when he was five years old. He lived in Viridian City, he was not even in school and hardly understood any of the teachings of the Sage during Mass. He remembered being intrigued by a mysterious Pokémon that would travel through time to heal the forest, but the Sage's words on way to live life or how to make decisions was utterly boring. He remembered holding his parents' hands, and back home when he would read his favorite books as Haya walked awkwardly across the room, having just learned how to walk. It was also the year in which Shin got lost in the forest, and spent lonely hours until his parents finally found him. He remembered his mother crying, and his father being absolutely speechless. Shin was holding his mother tightly and his own cry of relief echoed in the middle of the forest. That was the biggest event that he could remember, and he didn't see much significance in this particular year in his past. Still, Shin was surprised at himself for how much he was able to remember from such a long time ago. Shin wanted to stay in this room, considering the warmth of it, but the possibility of it being an office felt like a major intrusion of privacy.

Thanks to the warm office room, Shin was feeling much warmer and even healthier than before. He decided to sit down and lean against the wall; he thought he might as well take advantage of the darkness. But as he sat down, still not being able to figure out any possible explanation to why he was taken 15 years ago into the past, Shin buried his face against his legs.

"Celebi… where did you go?" Shin whispered to himself. A rush of frustration ran across his mind as he realized that encountering Celebi simply made things more and more confusing. He wanted to know if he was going down the right path in life, and if the death of his family, his live in Arborville, and his friendship with Meganium were all tied together to form a message. They could have been tied, and there could have been a clear explanation, but he wasn't able to find a single hint of it. To make matters worse, he was given another complex clue: his time travel.

For once, rather than trying to rely on the Guardian, he tried to gather all of those thoughts together to create an interpretation of his own. He closed his eyes and thought about his life right until he encountered Celebi at the Lake of Life.

Shin was satisfied with what he had. He may have lost his family and practically his entire life on his 10th Birthday, but he had survived from this tragedy, and had discovered a completely new life that he had never imagined 15 years ago. He was alive, and had gained a more mature perspective of how everything blended together, all of his friends, those that have given him advice, regardless of them being Human or Pokémon, and everything seemed attached and harmonious. He had also learned how the world was much more than he had expected. In fact, his life was filled with surprises, whether they made him happy or sad. Shin compared himself to a plant that grew into a tree. He went to Arborville Forest to ask Celebi why his parents and Haya had to die in the forest, and why Celebi wasn't able to help them. But right now Shin's plant tree had grown during the process. In fact, Shin realized how through time, the question he wanted answered from Celebi had changed more frequently than he had expected. Right now in particular, he wanted to know about what everything meant, and what they meant, rather than what caused them. But throughout his search for Celebi, there was more discoveries than Shin had ever dreamed of, and he was satisfied with all of it. Finally encountering Celebi and traveling through time with it, his question yet again: Why did Celebi take him here, and will he even go back to his time? At that moment, he wanted everything: an explanation and reasoning of this very situation…

"Shin, if Celebi took you and sent you back in time, would you stay there?"

"What?" Shin looked around hearing a voice, but nobody was around. It sounded much like Haya's voice. It was indeed Haya, and it was one of the many questions that made Shin feel curious during his childhood. Haya asked the most philosophical questions at his young age, and they still came back to him from time to time, even though it had already been 10 years since his death. He repeated the question with his lips, and responded to Haya's voice.

"…No. No, Haya. In fact, I want to go back. I have Meganium beside me. Diana and Towa are practically my family. I would spend much time in the forest and occasionally travel to different forest around Johto, and even return to Kanto… But not once did I return to Viridian City. I don't know why, but I just thought going back there meant going backwards… I don't want to repeat anything. I don't want to spend another 15 years trying to wait for the future to arrive. I have everything I need, or at least, I think I do…" As tears flowed out of his eyes, he cried for help from the Guardian in his heart. "Celebi? Are you going to take me back? If I am indeed forced to stay here, please don't take me back to Viridian City… Please… I want to continue rather than start over. I want to take in everything I've learned and use it to help others, whoever it may be... Being thankful of the present and being hopeful for the future is really what I need more than anything in life."

Shin wanted to stay until the rain had stopped. But instead, he stood up and decided to leave the Castle and return to the dark forest. He needed to find Celebi and tell the Guardian how he truly felt about this travel into the past.

"AH!" Shin's shoe slipped against his footsteps from earlier. Soon after, Shin slipped on the floor, banging his hand on the wall. His heart stopped and started beating faster and faster when he heard footsteps. Shin quickly stood up from the floor once he realized that the footsteps were already nearby…

**Nimbasa City / 15 Years Later**

While the insect Pokémon cried in the sky, Shin was utterly speechless as he learned about N's involvement with Team Plasma and what Rood had seen throughout N's life from his childhood to his discovery of N letting go of the Legendary Pokémon he had been with for two years.

Luckily, the silent end of Nimbasa City was perfect for this conversation. Sage Rood was able to tell Shin everything without any whispering, and Shin was able to focus despite the continuous shocks he was forced to deal with. Rood remained silent after telling him the story of Team Plasma. Even though he had absolutely no idea where to start, Shin was finally able to respond with his voice.

"…N…was leading Team Plasma?" Rood nodded slowly and continued.

"Or, at least he thought he was, but his own cause, what he believed he was doing as he led Team Plasma, had never died. N was already going towards a separate route by the time he was crowned King. He just didn't know about it." Even though it was difficult for Rood explain Team Plasma from the very beginning, he believed that deserved to know. As he learned more and more about both N and Team Plasma, Shin stared at his own feet. But that was only until Rood began to explain a little bit further, as the story finally began to connect with Shin's background.

"However, one thing I can say is that even though Ghetsis was the true leader of Team Plasma, he wasn't the cause of the clash between Team Plasma and the Messengers of the Forest. If anybody, it was N." Shin stared at Rood. For some reason, a sense of frustration and anger grew in Shin's heart as he repeats what Rood had just said.

"…What do you mean by that?" Expecting such a response, Rood continued.

"Truth be told, Ghetsis couldn't care less about what you worshipped, after all, in his perspective, not very many of you trained your Pokémon to strengthen them. His only clash with the Messengers was based on his need to capture all of the Pokémon from the forests of Unova, both wild and trained. He was also definitely interested in the Pokémon you were worshipping. But nonetheless, Zekrom and Reshiram were his top priority. As for Lord N…" Deep down, Shin wanted Rood to skip every single detail of Team Plasma. All of this had occurred before Shin arrived at Unova, and even after he learned about them, he never appreciated their cause to begin with. He only cared about one particular person who happened to be involved with Team Plasma. If N had anything to do with the clash, that was what he needed to know.

"To this date, N believes that he was raised by Pokémon. I'm not sure if he even realized it knew himself, but N was the same as an insecure bully when he clashed with the Messengers."

"What do you mean?" a clueless Shin asked. "How was he insecure?"

"They say N was picked up by Ghetsis in a Forest, where he was abandoned. But that was where everything started in life. To N, the forest was the place of his birth. To N, Messengers capturing Pokémon from forests, and worshipping its Guardian meant the Pokémon that he called his family and was raised by being take away from him." Rood paused, struggling to continue. "I must confess though, these thoughts never occurred in my head. This is how Anthea and Condordia interpret it. They know N much better than I do. They know more about N than N knew about himself, and all of what the two girls told me makes perfect sense." Rood's response was interrupted as he found Shin burying his face in his hands to bursting into tears. It took him time for him to gather everything together, but knowing that N was betrayed by what he believed in when he was clueless yet passionate, he realized that N wanted to move on just the way Shin did. His thoughts from the castle hallway came back. Shin knew how painful it was being forced back into past emotions more than anyone else in the world, and yet that was exactly how he hurt his friend.

"There there…" Rood placed his hand on Shin's back. After a few attempts, Shin was able to stop his tears.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered, and the Sage and the Messenger stared at each other. By then Rood had already known that this was not the first time he had met Shin, even though it had been 15 years since their first encounter.

"You were the young man that sneaked into the castle, weren't you?" Shin remained silent nodded. "Yes, I remember you. I don't know how it happened, but I don't think that's important. I don't know what how you and Lord N interacted before we found you, but I know for a fact that you were the only real and sincere human being with no involvement with Team Plasma that N had met before all of this had happened. In that sense, I'm glad you and N were reunited."

The word "reunited" rung heavily in Shin's head. He needed to see N, and he needed to speak to him, and tell him the reality that he deserved to know: that none of it was N's fault, that no Messenger was harmed despite the clashes, that there he had absolutely no sense of grudge or animosity towards N, and that even though Shin was clueless about his involvement with Team Plasma, N still deserved an apology from him.

Rood used his free hand to reach into his robe pocket. He handed Shin a piece of paper that was old and close to being completely torn. Shin raised his head and noticed Rood handing him the paper. As he accepted and unfolded the paper, Shin couldn't believe what he was seeing. He pointed at it and looked at Rood, who nodded after reading Shin's gestures and expressions.

"I don't know where N is, but as you said, if you wanted to start by searching the Castle, that's where you need to go… The castle is now deserted, and it was not the way it was 15 years ago, but a lot of it is still left. It seemed like you wanted to know where the Castle was, and you deserved to know."

Shin didn't know how to thank the Sage. The Castle was circled with ink and was right by a large forest at the end of the region. He took the map and traced his way from the Castle back to Nimbasa City. Shin finally knew where to go; he finally figured out where Celebi had taken him.

"I saw your interaction with N in the city earlier today. I knew N was distracted from your kindness, and I can imagine what the cause was. I also believe that you have a larger impact in N's life than you had ever imagined. I want him to be with you again. When you find N, tell him to forget about Team Plasma. But also tell him to keep the heart of Gold he has right now. That heart is no longer controlled by Team Plasma, and that if he thinks otherwise, he deserves to grab it back and use it for his own purpose."

Shin was still stuck in words, and his conversation with Rood, he knew where he needed to go. Shin stood up and smiled, subtly thanking the Sage for his help. Not a moment later, he dashed away, heading back to the Castle where he first met N, and where Celebi took him.

Shin finally knew what he needed to do as Celebi's Messenger…


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

**The Castle / 2 Days Later**

N sat in the middle of his room. His hand was casually playing with the building blocks that were still remaining on the floor. He looked around the room and saw the countless toys and activities he played with for years, here in this exact place. He smirked as he looked back into his entire life from all that he could remember. At this point, there was hardly any expression of fear or hesitation on N's face. He had made his decision.

As N heard that voice one last time, but this time, N had surrendered himself it.

"_What are you doing here?" _

"This is where I belong."

"_Are you sure about that?"_

"Well, truth be told, I'm not sure where I belong, and I don't think I will ever know, but for now, this is where I will stay."

"_Who are you?"_

"I am nothing more than a freak without a human heart."

"_Why are you doing this?"_

N smirked at the question.

"Because I was wrong and I wasn't the Hero that I thought I was. There are more humans out there: those that can truly seek the happiness of Pokémon. I'm not necessary. I never was, and I never will be.

The voice asked one last question.

"_What about Shin?"_

Before answering, N looked at the tiny little bed that N once slept in, where N was comforted by Shin after a horrible nightmare. After a long pause, N closed his eyes and responded to the voice.

"He was the only person that could have stopped all of this, and he never did. Shin was nothing but a teaser that meant absolutely nothing. In fact, in all honestly, all I can feel is regret from that encounter. I wish I had never met him."

_I wish I had never met him._

_I wish I had never met him… _

_I wish… I had…_

_Never…_

N smiled confidently and heroically as droplets of tears fell onto the floor, one by one. The drops of tears were replaced by another substance that N had picked up before arriving back to the castle.

**The Castle / 15 Years Ago**

"What was that!?" Shin panicked and leaned against the wall as he heard the shout.

"Is it an intruder?" said another. Shin tried to escape the hallway, but before he was able to, the Grunts moved closely to him. Shin tried to calm down and attempt at his plan. He shouted his 'excuse,' realizing that now was the only time. Perhaps they would understand.

"I'm sorry! It's was raining and I was cold! I needed to…"' Before Shin was able to finish his shaky sentence, he witnessed a group of men in large robes appearing behind the Grunts. Shin started at each of them, noticing how old they seemed to be. Some seemed surprised at Shin's presence, a few confused, and one in particular who stood in the very center, with green hair and a dark eerie robe and what looked like a cane, seemed utterly furious. Shin managed to see his eyes in the dim light: one was masked and one glared at him. After his red eye met with Shin's, Shin looked away in fear. It seemed like the next best solution for Shin was to escape.

"..Get him!" As the enraged leader shouted, the Grunts heard his command and ran towards him. Shin was horrified by the sole fact that he was being chased, and he needed to return to the forest before he got in even more trouble.

Suddenly, the lights turned on in the hallway, and Shin realized that there were more Grunts behind him as well. The Messenger was surrounded. After a flash of panic, he leaned against the wall as the Grunts moved towards him closer and closer. Shin reached towards his Pokéball, attempting to get help from Meganium. As though they predicted Shin's every move, the Grunts surrounded Shin and grabbed his arms and legs. Shin screamed in fear and anger, not expecting the event of getting caught being harsh and cold to this extreme.

"LET GO OF ME!" Shin yelled. Without any luck in shouting, Shin was dragged along the hallway, still surrounded by the Grunts. Where was he taking them? More importantly, who on Earth were these men and women, particularly the robed elderly group? As he retaliated by kicking and swinging his arms, he noticed the emblem on all of the Grunts' uniforms; it was the same emblem that was depicted on the Green-haired center figure's cane. He had never seen them before, but they reminded him of Team Rocket, whom he had been warned about as a child in Viridian City.

One Grunt in particular noticed his sash and the Pokéballs attached. As he tried to take the Pokéballs away from him, the entire group's attention went to Shin's sash. As their attention moved away from him, Shin used that very moment to punch one of the Grunts that had captured him. The Grunt screamed in pain and dropped Shin on the ground.

While keeping his hand by his sash to protect his Pokémon, Shin quickly ran away while the Grunts were caught off guard by the sudden attack. Shin ran as fast as he could towards the very end of the hallway. The hallway was edged with what seemed like a staircase. He realized he had no time to think about how he could leave the Castle. He simply needed to escape for now. His instinct decided to climb up the stairs. The Grunts still chased after him.

Shin ran up several floors and entered into yet another dim hallway. It was bright enough for Shin to know where he was going, but also dark enough to escape from the Grunts for a while, even though he didn't tone down any of his attempts in escaping. Shin quickly ran towards the other side of the hall. Fortunately, the Grunts didn't seem to find him up at this floor.

But as his emotional and physical fatigue started to take over, Shin was running out of breath, and he needed to hide somewhere temporarily. That was when he saw a door nearby, quickly grabbing on the knob and gasping in relief as he realized that it wasn't locked. Without any hesitation, Shin opened the door…

**The Castle / 15 Years Later**

Shin was surprised to see how torn down the place was, considering how well built it seemed to be. Shin was chased in these very hallways only two months ago (at least from his perspective), but he noticed that Rood was correct when he said that the castle was now deserted.

Shin found the same staircase he ran towards and climbed up, counting the floors and trying to reach the floor he escaped to. There was one room he needed to start with for his search of N. Even though he didn't expect to find any clues, as Shin had told himself many times, that was where he needed to start: after all, it was where he met N for the very first time.

Shin finally found the hallway. His memory of the incident from two months ago was clear enough for him to realize that he was on the right one. The hallway was dark, and much dustier than it was two months ago. He walked down the hallway, remembering himself running and escaping from the Grunts. As he approached the very door he was looking for, Shin noticed that the door was unlatched. A dim light came from the room behind the door. Shin couldn't believe what he was seeing…

"…N!?" Shin sprinted towards the room, feeling anxious yet hopeful for the first time since N ran away from him. He reached the door and strongly pushed it out of his way. Shin smiled as he found who was looking for, breathing heavily to catch his breath.

But his smile of relief soon faded away as he saw N's face lit up with a small torch and the flame ignited from it. Before his eyes met with Shin's, N seemed like he was about to drop the torch on the floor.

Shin shook his head in disbelief as he realized that the floor was wet, and the room smelled of gasoline…All Shin could do was ask in a raspy, shaky voice.

"….What are you doing…?"


	20. Chapter 0

**Chapter 0**

**N and Shin**

_"What are you doing?"_ N whispered as his nightmares tortured him. _"Please…stop… don't hurt my friends…"_ N couldn't move, and was forced to watch familiar Pokémon being physically abused. N couldn't figure out who or what it was that was being cruel to all of them, but based on what he had heard, they were probably humans, even though to N, they all seemed like dark shadows from Hell with absolutely no hint of mercy. They were much larger than he was, most likely adults, and made the Pokémon seem completely defenseless.

He wanted to rescue the Pokémon but his hands and legs wouldn't move as though he was imprisoned himself. In the end, N was forced to witness every single moment of it. N felt the voices of the Pokémon stab his heart. He could hear them crying for help. He could hear them begging the shadows to stop hurting them as well.

"_Don't worry, I'm right here!"_ N screamed, hoping that somebody can come and help N's cause. But nobody else was around, and the shadows worsened their abuse. Not being able to run, close his eyes, or even cover his ears, all the young boy could do was cry and beg for help. _"Please… don't…. please… Father… somebody… help me… help me…"_

N was too small to help any of his friends. But Ghetsis wasn't. He implored for his father to arrive and rescue him and his friends. Ghetsis was the one that taught him how cruel humans can be. N knew without a doubt that Ghetsis would be on his side, and that he would be strong enough to let the Pokémon free.

At the same time, N's nightmares proved how small and weak he was. He wondered what he could do on his own without Ghetsis' presence. His fear shifted into a sense of powerlessness. When he fell onto the ground, crying and screaming in humiliation, the floor started to soften, and hug N's head very gently. N clutched onto the soft floor and was finally able to cover his face.

The soft texture turned more and more tangible as N opened his eyes and realized that it was his pillow that he was covering his face with. He quickly sat up on his bed, seeing nobody around. He was surrounded by everything that was familiar to him: the room that he lived in for as long as he could remember. The shadows were not real, and his friends were absent from the room. But the fear and shame was left in his heart. He held onto his pillow and tightened his grip, tears falling onto the pillow and his shirt.

Where were his friends? He wanted to dash out of the room and go see if they were okay, but he didn't know where to look. Besides, he was told not to leave his room at night, even though he wasn't exactly free to roam around during daytime either. N asked himself what he could do to help his friends. He wanted to help, but he was too little to do anything. But someday in the future, perhaps he would feel more power inside him. Perhaps he would be able to achieve his cause and save every single Pokémon from being hurt. Perhaps he would see the world and find out what exactly it is that he must do to succeed.

'Someday…' he thought 'Someday I wi...!?' N interrupted himself with a little gasp.

The door banged so loudly, and not expecting it, N jumped in surprise as he gasped. He lowered his pillow to see what was going on. N saw a shadow once again, just like the one from his nightmare. It was a human, and he was here to hurt his friends. As tears flowed out and, fearing the idea of experiencing everything all over again… The shadow looked around very quickly and finally spotted N. Before N could scream for help, the shadow started to shout.

"…Oh my go… I am so sorry! I didn't know anybody was in here!" N shivered. It seemed like the shadow was speaking to him. The shadow grew, and grew. It was coming closer to him. He pulled up his bed sheets along with his pillow and tried to protect himself. He held onto his pillow tightly and buried his face once again.

Shin noticed that the little child was clearly afraid of the intrusion, but he couldn't leave this room to find another unlocked room when there was a high chance that he would get caught. At this point, he had no idea what those Grunts and Robed Men were up to. In fact, he was afraid to know. In spite of his worries, he surely didn't expect to see a child's room placed out of the blue, let alone one filled with an entire lifetime supply of activities.

Shin moved closer to the little boy and noticed his sobbing. But his heart knew exactly what the boy was crying about. He knew. The boy was afraid, and he was certainly afraid of him, but he clearly had a terrifying experience earlier: a nightmare. All of the sudden, something in his heart told him to comfort this boy and tuck him back to sleep.

"I'm sorry." Shin whispered. "I just need to stay here for a little bit." The little boy peaked his blue eyes from above the pillow as Shin talked to him.

_"Go away… Go away… Don't hurt my friends… Please…"_ N attempted to scream at the human shadow. His voice wouldn't come out though, only raspy noises and sobs, which made him feel weaker than before. By then, his teary eyes were adjusting to the dark room, and as the shadow showed itself. The shadow was replaced by a full view of a human being. His long dark hair was tied up, possibly even longer than his own. He was wearing very strange clothes with intricate embroidery that he had never seen before, and he had some sort of dark mark under his left eye. The unusual mark made him look slightly more mysterious and frightening. As he kept staring at the stranger, N noticed him coming closer and closer…

"What's wrong?" The stranger asked him. N shifted backwards against the wall and covered himself behind the pillow to use it as a shield. Despite his attempt of self-defense, the stranger was still there, and continued to talk to him.

"…Did you have a bad dream?" N widened his eyes behind his pillow. How did he know? How did this stranger know that he just woke up from a very scary dream? N was convinced that this stranger was one of the shadows in his nightmare, and he had returned to torture N and his friends again. He clutched onto his pillow in fear. But much to his surprise, he felt something come closer to him. As he looked up from behind the pillow, N realized that the stranger was closer to him than he could ever get, as though the larger stranger was covering him up. Finally, N was able to let his voice out. He screamed in fear.

"Aahhh… AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

Shin was shocked at the sudden scream. All he was doing was trying to hug him, but a hug from a stranger was definitely something the boy didn't want.

"SHHHH! SHHHHH!" Shin quickly covered N's mouth despite his retaliation. He didn't want to be caught by the Grunts, and he prayed that they still thought he was escaping through the halls and stairs. The little boy's hands were slapping Shin's arms, wanting him to let go, but Shin held onto him tightly, trying to calm him down and perhaps let him fall asleep so he could hide there for the night. But as he heard a cough and a choking noise, Shin widened his eyes and quickly moved his hand away from his mouth. Shin noticed the profusely reddened teary eyes, and his instincts took action once again. Instead of letting go, he tightened his hug. The boy was clearly shivering in fear, and the only thing Shin could do at that point was to convince him that everything was going to be okay.

"Shhh…. It's okay. I won't hurt you. I promise."

"I promise." The stranger promised that he wouldn't hurt N, but how much should he believe what this stranger was telling him? Especially after he was feeling chocked by him and the fact that he was clutching onto him. He had only been embraced so tightly by a larger friend that was also there when N was sad and afraid. But his friend was a Pokémon; when a human did it, he always thought it meant harm. Sadly, there was nothing that N was able to do to escape from this human. N gritted his teeth and tried his best not to cry. He needed to be brave, and stop being little, at least on the inside. He prepared himself for whatever that could happen next.

But as time passed, N noticed that he still wasn't in pain. The stranger wasn't hurting him. What was taking him so long? Instead, he heard the human's voice once again.

"Shhhh…."

He didn't know what it meant, but somehow, the sound that came out of the stranger made him question whether or not he was actually going to get hurt at all. N cautiously closed his eyes shut. As he kept preparing himself, he started to feel a slow, consistent cradling movement against his body. It was the stranger that was cradling him gently as he held the little boy. The peculiar clothing was rather soft and comfortable, and he noticed how warm it was, along with his skin. As N took a deep breath, he noticed an aroma that was slightly familiar. He didn't know what it was, but it was soothing and pleasant, and it reminded him of a long time ago: a life before he could even remember, before he played and solved puzzles in this dark room, and before he had ever snuggled against a friend. Somehow as time passed, N was clutching onto the stranger's clothing. He felt some sort of rhythm on his chest. He remembered that same beat coming from his friends, and would even feel it inside himself when he placed his hands atop his own chest. What was it?

A thought occurred in N's mind: Was this stranger in fact, not human? Was he a Pokémon? Even though he looked more like a human, he somehow shared more traits with his friends than with his father or any other human he had met. Perhaps he was just like the two girls: they looked like human, but they were Pokémon deep down with kind hearts that wouldn't cause any harm.

To N's surprise, being held tightly by the stranger loosened the tension in his heart and dried his tears. He felt warm, and he was familiar with this feeling. But the warmth from the stranger was unique, and was something he had never felt in his entire life. It made him… happy. N was happy, even though only a few minutes ago, he woke up from his nightmare and was feeling sad, horrified, and weak. But right then, he was happy, and it felt nice being happy. He moved his tiny arms around the human and he tried to move him even closer. He wanted to feel happier, and perhaps being closer would achieve just that. Before N knew it, he was hugging the human in return…

"Are you okay?" the human asked. After he thought for a moment, he nodded, because he was indeed okay.

Shin smiled as the boy held him tightly and nodded in response. He was glad when he realized that he was able to convince the boy that he meant no harm. He continued to cradle him. Even though he started by trying to calm him down so that he wouldn't be caught from his scream, as he held him tightly, his arms started to feel attached to the young boy he was embracing. He looked rather peculiar, particularly with his long green hair. He couldn't exactly see the colors of his eyes, but they were bright and frail: like a very heartwarming blue. His hair was soft, and he was as smooth as his little brother used to be.

But the boy wasn't identical to Haya at all. In fact, in some ways he healed the pain that he had once experienced. Even though Shin hugged his brother the same way when he was alive, the hug didn't feel the same, obviously from the fact that he had never met this boy before. But after seeing him cry and consumed with fear, he wanted the boy to feel better. He was taught to save others when in need, and this was the perfect moment to do so. Yet somehow, embracing the boy provided comfort to Shin in return. It felt like something he needed for himself more than for the purpose of helping the boy. He realized how selfish that was, and yet at that moment, all that mattered was for the boy to feel better. With all of his heart, Shin hoped that he would have a better dream then next time he went to sleep.

As silence started to take control of the room, Shin looked around. The amount of toys and games in the room was overwhelming, let alone the fact that the room seemed so out of place compared to the rest of the Castle. He didn't even know what this boy had to do with the cold world outside of this room. One thing Shin knew for sure was that the boy was just as innocent as any other child. Aside from the strange power he had that would extinguish the fire that still ran across his mind, he was a little boy, with so much to expect. Looking at the puzzles and how most of them were completed, Shin realized how intelligent this boy was as well.

Shin was 15 years back in time, which meant that the boy would be about the same age as him. Had he been focused, he could have imagined the infinite number of possibilities for this boy's life. However, the Grunts, the Robed Men, and the entire castle and the boy didn't fit together. He was too distracted by the boy's warmth and beady heartbeat to try to gather his thoughts. The hugging continued, and the boy was still clutching on his shirt. As he heard the tiny soothed breaths, Shin blushed in endearment and buried his head back into the little boy's hair, closing his eyes and holding him tighter. He hadn't hugged someone like this for years, and it was more comforting than anything he had ever felt in his entire life.

Suddenly, Shin heard a banging on the door. He loosened his embrace and looked back to realize that the Grunts had found him.

"THERE HE IS!" Shin let go of N, feeling very frustrated that they wouldn't even give him a single chance to explain himself. The Grunts ran over to the small bed and held Shin by his arms and legs.

"Aaaaagh! Let me go! Let… me… go!" Shin tried his best to escape, but his strength was no match to the larger group. As he screamed and groaned, he saw N staring at the scene, but that was only for a short moment. The frightening red-eyed man he saw earlier was staring at Shin and shifted in between him and the bed, blocking his view from the boy. As the old man nodded at the Grunts, he was dragged out of the boy's room and into the hallway…

N was confused at the commotion. Where were they taking him? Why was he treated that way? He didn't do anything wrong. He wasn't like any other human. He was actually very kind, and didn't know why his father would consider him as an enemy. Perhaps he needed to explain to his father that the stranger was not here to hurt any Pokémon. But before he could speak any further, Ghetsis kneeled down to him eye to eye. He looked furious. N felt like he was about to get yelled at.

"Look at me. Listen, you didn't see anything! Forget about everything you just saw! You have nothing to do with it!" N was confused, and didn't know what his father meant. Nonetheless, he nodded in obedience. His father knew best, and if he told him to forget about it, he should probably do just that.

For the next 15 years, N obliged to Ghetsis' command. The words that he went into his ears would finally come back to his mind when he was ready to face it after what he had experienced throughout his life…

"_Oh my Go… I am so sorry! I didn't think anyone would be here!"_

"_What's wrong? Did you have a bad dream?"_

"_Shhh… It's okay. I won't hurt you. I promise..."_

"_Let me go! Let… me… go!"_


	21. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

**The Forest / 15 Years Ago**

A small door on the side of the castle opened, and Shin was pushed into the rainy mud by one of the Grunts. After he slammed the door shut, Shin laid down there, feeling humiliated and confused. The rain had stopped, but Shin was tired. He hardly had any energy to leave off of the mud and walk back into the forest. As Shin lied down there, trying to stand up, he cried for help deep down inside his heart.

"…Celebi, what is all of this? Where are you? I want to go back…" Shin opened his eyes and noticed that the forest was only a few steps away from where he was placed. He groaned and shifted himself away onto a drier surface and finally managed to stand up. He looked behind at the castle, feeling so much anger for how he was treated. But his facial expression softened as another concern rushed through his mind. Despite walking towards the forest, Shin wasn't able to keep his eye off the castle after that hint of sadness started to haunt him. It had nothing to do with how he was treated by the Grunts or the Seven Robed Men. But he couldn't figure out what it was. It was the feeling of sadness that he felt when he bid farewell to anyone he loved. But every single person in the Castle was a stranger… How could he possibly feel that way?

Shin walked in circles inside the forest, but his fatigue returned, and he hardly remembered why he entered the forest to begin with. He noticed a giant tree in front of him, and he leaned against it, falling back onto the ground and sitting down.

"Celebi… Where are you?" Shin thought he was screaming, but his words came out as a mere tired murmur. As he was about to close his eyes, he heard a familiar cry. Shin opened his eyes in surprise. "Celebi? Celebi!?"

Celebi flew over to the large tree. Whatever Celebi had been planning, it certainly did not expect to see Shin sitting down against a tree, exhausted and drenched in rain and mud. The Guardian flew down towards Shin and stared at his hazel eyes, looking concerned. Shin almost wanted to yell at Celebi, but he restrained himself from doing so, and instead stared back at its eyes in return.

"Celebi… Where have you been? Why did you take me here?" Shin asked. "Please tell me… Please… I don't belong here. I…" Shin paused as Celebi's blue eyes and green body reminded him of a certain someone, finally realizing why he was feeling so lonely and sad. Shin reached over to Celebi and gently petted its head. As the little boy flashed back into his mind, he pulled Celebi over and held it tightly.

For the first time, Shin asked himself what the boy was doing there, with those mysterious and cold morons. He and his room seemed absolutely out of place, as though opening the door to the boy's room brought him into a different dimension. What was he doing there? How was he related to the Grunts that captured him, and tried to take Meganium away from him, and threw him in the mud with absolutely no compassion or will to listen to him. Shin couldn't even imagine the idea of him being raised by any of them. Yet, the little boy that had woken up from a nightmare seemed so secluded. He looked at Shin as though he had never been cared for in his entire life. Shin tightened his embrace while Celebi remained silent in Shin's arms.

"…Celebi, who is that boy? What's he doing there? Is he going to be okay?" As Shin closed his eyes and finally fell asleep, Celebi flashed while being embraced. The entire forest followed the Time Travel Pokémon and started to glow, leaving a ringing sound covering the air. It didn't take much time for the Guardian of the Forest and his Messenger to disappear from the spot. With hardly any explanation, Shin travelled back home to Arborville Forest, 15 years into the future…

**N's Room / ****15 Years Later**

"…What are you doing?" Shin repeated himself as N stared with his blue eyes, shocked to see Shin right in front of him despite his earlier farewell.

"…Why are you…" N's question was interrupted by Shin pulling his shirt and grabbing the torch away from him. He was no less surprised when Shin pushed him down with a large thud on the floor, keeping N from leaving his grasp. Shin grabbed the small torch from N's hand and dashed over to what used to be N's bed. He quickly picked up the blanket and ran further into the room where there was no gasoline on the floor. He placed the blanket on top of the torch and extinguished the fire. Meanwhile, N tilted his head over to Shin as he started getting lightheaded from the stench of gasoline… But he was woken up by yet another thud and the sight of a furious Shin holding him down on the ground once more.

"…WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Shin asked for the third time. N didn't understand Shin's rage, nor did he understand the tears that came out of both Shin's and his own. N was definitely frustrated though; not only was his attempt of death interrupted, but the intrusion was caused by Shin, of all people. N grabbed Shin's wrist, hoping that Shin would let go, but he wouldn't, which angered him even more. N screamed back.

"…Why did you do that!? Why? I thought you were out of my life!" Shin had no idea what was going in N's head, or even if N was sane. But N's retaliation certainly didn't stop Shin's rage from boiling even hotter.

"...What… are… you… doing?" was all Shin could ask. N stared at Shin with fury.

"You know exactly what I was doing! I was trying to die, and you stopped me! You're back in my life again!" Shin didn't even know what to say to this, and none of this made any sense to him. But to worsen the situation, N rambled on.

"You were only an intrusion. Everything is over. Team Plasma is gone. I was wrong all this time. There is nothing more for me to do! I'm finished! But you got in the way, for the second time! And now you're stopping me from ending it!"

Tears flowed out of Shin's eyes and dripped onto N's face. Shin had had enough of all of this, and raised his fist to punch some sense into N. N closed his eyes, hoping that perhaps Shin could murder him. But instead, N felt something falling onto his chest. He opened his eyes, and Shin had been placing his head against him, sobbing profusely.

"…" N couldn't believe Shin would continue his intrusion of his own death. He tightened his grip on Shin's wrist.

"…Why won't you hit me?"

"….Because…" Shin responded in a shaky raspy voice. "Because I said I wouldn't hurt you…"

N's facial expression softened, and his eyes widened in surprise. Shin and N let go of each other, but Shin was not finished.

"N….N….Why?" Shin asked. "Why would you tell me that I'm only an intrusion…?" He raised his head and looked into N's eyes, trying to force an explanation out of him.

"…Because you weren't supposed to be in my life. It was just a glitch. But you dashed into my room and asked me if I was okay, and you asked me if I had a bad dream… " N had to pause for a moment. "You cared for me..." Shin shook his head in disbelief.

"I wasn't supposed to be in your life?" Shin asked. "Then why did you come to the teahouse? Why did _you _come into _my_ life? Why did you prove that my encounter with Celebi was not a dream?" As Shin waited for a response, he gritted his teeth. He was done with being confused. He spent too much time having unanswered questions, and every time something was answered, there came dozens and dozens of new things to be curious about, and Shin was tired of dealing what that. His pilgrimage lasted for 10 years so he could find answers, and having no idea what N was rambling about, he decided to force himself to garner those answers.

"N… Why would you do that? Why would you leave me like that? Using fire of all things. Fire! After what I told you how I became alone! Why would you do that to me, N?" N hadn't thought about that. His decision to die in flames was simply a choice he made instinctively. "… Don't leave me, N…. I need you in my life… You're my friend…" As tears poured down Shin's cheeks onto N's, N was finally able to reply.

"…You left me first." N whispered. "YOU LEFT ME FIRST! You could have taken me with you! You could have abducted me and thrown me away in the forest! You could have raised me as your brother!" N's sobbing stopped N from responding. He sniffed and rubbed his reddened eyes, trying to dry the tears away, realizing how sad he was himself "But you decided to leave me behind…" Shin and N were shocking each other, asking themselves how any of this had to happen in this manner.

"But no." N continued. "You left me right here. I was crowned King of Team Plasma. I was lied to for my entire life. I lost myself. I had to be exposed to the world and learn about how Pokémon and Human really are together… It's your fault, Shin… You're the reason why I lived a lie and a wrong answer. You're the reason why my life ends here…" Shin had never been sadder in his life.

"N, I… I belonged in my time. I came from a different time and I needed to return. Celebi took me back home…" Even though Shin thought this was the best answer, N wasn't convinced.

"…You still could have taken me with you, I would have lived life differently. I would have lived a life where I knew the truth about Pokémon where I wasn't blind or wrong."

"Those Grunts… Team Plasma… they pulled me away from you, against my will. You have no idea, do you? I was worried about you. I didn't want anyone to hurt you. I'm so glad you're still here. You're the reason why I'm here, N. My instinct brought me to Unova to see you again, and treat you the way you deserve to be treated…"

"Why…." N whispered. "WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME!?" N was bursting into tears once again, knowing that this question would never be answered, and he was well aware that it was an illegitimate question, but he had to ask, because his life would have been different had Shin been with him all along rather than just for that moment after he woke up in the middle of the night.

"I'm here now, N." Shin's eyes were also red and his face was drenched in tears. "I'm here. I'm in Unova. I'm right next to you. Right now, at this moment."

"You could have been here before I was forced into the mess I fell into." N looked away from Shin and banged his fists onto the floor. "But all of this had to happen! This is what I've become!" Shin took a while to respond, but his words were quiet yet strong.

"So? So what, N? Are you in that mess right now? Is any of it happening right now? Are you the same person you were before? Are you still wrong right now? Are you still alone like you always were, right now?"

"…"

"You said so yourself: Team Plasma is gone! You're free! You're not a puppet anymore. You can be a living human with a heart of gold and a clever mind! You have everything you need!"

"…"

As he saw N's tears, Shin was reminded of the boy that was crying in fear, and he remembered exactly what he looked like. Even two months seemed like forever. As he heard N's breathing, he broke the hug and looked at N very carefully, making sure that N was listening.

"N, none of that matters to me. I care about YOU. Not the King of Team Plasma, not the human being that lived to seek happiness for Pokémon, I love YOU. I care about the boy that had a nightmare and was afraid. I care about the person that came to the Teahouse, all grown up and still smart and loving."

Somehow, N was confused, not exactly understanding what Shin meant. Why would Shin care for the one that clashed with what he believed in for his entire life? Why would Shin love the one that could have possibly hurt so many of his potential friends? And above all, what Shin said hardly made any sense: He was indeed the King of Team Plasma. He was the King of the organization that Shin yelled "Good Riddance" to.

"…Shin?" as N whispered his name, Shin brought his arms around N's back and held him tightly just like the way he did 15 years ago. N didn't know how to react. He had only been embraced once in his life, and the same person was embracing him again, and everything was identical, from the way he breathed, the way his heart was beating, the aroma of the forest, and how warm he was. It was identical, just 15 years apart. Shin lowered his head, and by then he was able to hear N's heartbeat like a ticking clock.

"N… You may have been lied to, and you may have personally clashed with my friends, my family, and my Guardian…" Shin loosened his embrace and started to talk. "But so what? I still love you. You have a heart of gold… And not only that, you share it with every single Pokémon in the world. That makes the Pokémon happy. That certainly made Meganium happy, and it also makes me happy. You might not think that it would make a difference to me, and maybe you wouldn't even care about what I feel. But humans and Pokémon are the same. We all smile, we all cry, and we all have voices that need to be heard, just like you do right now. You're human, but you make people realize that humans can love other humans and Pokémon the same way. You deserve to know that. But that's all there is to it, N. That's all you need to learn. There's nothing new otherwise. You've learned everything else throughout your entire life. You were never wrong."

N's heart was melting, and he couldn't believe what was happening, and what Shin was telling him. The words that came out of his mouth however, were nothing but genuine.

"…I missed you, Shin."

"I'm sorry, N. I'm really sorry I couldn't be with you. But I'm so glad you found me. I'm glad I was able to see you again." Shin paused and glanced at N for a moment, he sighed in awe. "My, you've grown…" For the first time during that incident, N saw Shin smile, and for some reason, Shin's smile brought a little smile to himself.

"I thought all of it was a dream. But it wasn't. You were real, and you're here right now. You have no idea how happy that makes me. If you have any more nightmares, you can come to me again…"

As N place his arms around Shin, he felt a warmth and joy that he only felt when he was surrounded by Pokémon, and was listening to their voices, knowing that his friends were happy too. Even though humans took away that joy too often throughout his life, at that moment, none of his friends were hurt, none of the shadows were real, he was no longer weak or powerless, and he wasn't alone. All of it made N happy. N thought about all of his friends, and how much he loved them. They were all Pokémon, but Shin was the one human amongst his many friends. He was also the only human being that tried to listen to his own voice, and even though it took 15 years for him to see him again, Shin was holding him tightly once again.

N was able to accept that…


	22. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

N stepped out of the ruins, the sun was beginning to set and it was a sight to be awed by. Shin followed him out, carefully looking around at the main chambers of the castle, as he saw them for the first time. But his attention soon followed N's when covered his eyes and glanced at the orange sky. Neither Shin or N knew where they were going to head next, but for once not knowing seemed like quite the experience.

As N walked away from the castle, he noticed Shin's absence, and looked behind him. Shin was looking towards the forest behind the castle, where Celebi had taken him and where it all began. But he felt anxious to return after what he had experienced on that rainy day. Somehow, the forest was much darker and more mysterious than any forest he has been in. It was even intimidating. Shin looked down as he memories of the Grunts throwing him into the mud came back to his memories. But there was one thing he wanted to find out inside the forest. There was a certain Pokémon he wanted to give thanks to, even though the possibility of him being able to do so seemed incredibly slim.

As Shin tried to follow N and walk back, he noticed N staring at him. Somehow, N knew what was going on in Shin's head.

"We have some time before the sun sets. Would you like to walk into the forest?" As N provided the suggestion, Shin smiled and nodded. N grinned and turned himself towards the forest, offering Shin a hand. "Let's go."

Shin didn't want to go too deep into the forest, but N seemed like he was enjoying the investigation. He looked around and observed everything with his senses. He stopped and stood under a line of trees and took a deep breath inside. N loved the aroma of the forest. It was soothing, and he knew that this was where he could meet many of his friends, and above all, it reminded him of a certain moment in his life that he had forgotten for too long. Shin leaned against a large tree and watched a gleeful and childlike N for the first time. It was a rather sweet sight to look at. His attention moved towards the tree he was leaning on. Shin looked puzzled, and dug into his memory very carefully. It was the same tree he leaned on when Celebi took him back home.

N looked over towards the tree and noticed his friend sitting down. Even though there was initial hesitation, N shyly sat next to Shin. Shin and N looked at each other and smiled. What else was there to say after what had happened in N's room only a little earlier? Words were no longer necessary to express their appreciation for each other. But as N looked at Shin and his glowing hazel eyes, something new sparked in his mind: he didn't know what Shin was thinking about in his heart, and yet he wanted to know. That had never happened before with any other human being. N felt stuck; for once, he tried. He tried listening to Shin's voice. Perhaps words were necessary after all. N could hint out on a few ideas here and there, but in the end, they were nothing more than assumptions. N distracted himself by looking over at the sky. The sun had completely set a long time ago, but he didn't want to warn Shin about it. Somehow, Shin seemed happy to be there, and it seemed like it would be the wisest choice as a friend to let him stay there a little longer. Perhaps it took time to listen to a human heart. Perhaps it was so much more complex than he had ever imagined. He thought of what others might feel if they were able to listen to N's heart, and grimaced at the idea. He worried about the unusual self-righteousness that he once had in his heart. How would anybody appreciate his own company had anyone been able to listen to his broken heart.

"N?" N quickly moved his head over to Shin. This time, his friend had a concerned look to him. Perhaps he saw the grimace on N's face.

"It's getting darker, maybe we should leave." As Shin suggested, N tilted his head.

"Are you sure? Celebi still might be here." Shin widened his eyes, not expecting such a response.

"N, How did you know I was looking for Celebi?"

"What? I thought…" N blinked in confusion. He thought Shin mentioned Celebi. But the reality was, not once had Shin mentioned the name of the Time Travel Pokémon. He was slightly surprised at himself, and so was Shin. In fact, he seemed rather pleased.

"So you can listen to human hearts too, can't you?" Shin smiled. Even though he was joking to some extent, N took it very seriously. Without saying a word, N looked at his feet and tried to think about how he was able to do it. He frowned as he contemplated and looked back into the events in a logical manner.

Shin looked at N as he kept thinking, and suddenly Shin leaned against the tree further and started to laugh out loud. A confused N stared at Shin and raised an eyebrow, even though deep down he enjoyed the childlike laughter that he had never heard from Shin.

"What's so funny?" N asked. Shin shook his head and tried his best to pause his laughter. Shin rubbed the birthmark under his eye and shook his head.

"Nothing. It's just, it's fun being with you. I guess I'm just glad to see you again. I really enjoy your company." As Shin continued to smile, even though N didn't know what Shin truly meant or why he said that, he was still happy to have a friend to be with. He didn't know a human could be as warm and welcoming as any Pokémon.

It was getting harder and harder to see through the depths of the forest. The two boys carefully headed towards the edge of the forest and see if they could find a place to stay for the evening before returning to Nimbasa City. Somehow, that's what N had intended in his subconscious. After all, that was where he was reunited with Shin, and that would be where he can see him again in the future. N took Shin's hand to avoid getting separated from him. The forest air was starting to darken with a cool air and fog. He tried to remember which way it was back towards the walls of the castle. But he let out a small gasp as he felt Shin's hand let go of him.

N heard a thud, the crackling of leaves and branches, and finally, a loud scream. He felt a sudden pull on his leg as he fell down on the ground. Shin was grasping onto his leg, trying not to fall down from the deep ditch that was hidden in the fog. It was too dark for him to see how deep it was, but there was a chance that it was dangerous for Shin to fall in. N quickly grabbed onto a smaller tree trunk to avoid from being pulled down by Shin, urging Shin to keep his arms around his leg.

"N…!" With a strained voice, Shin screamed his friend's name. "…Celebi…" N kept hanging onto the trunk, even though he felt it shaking and moving down as N and Shin's weight both pulled onto it. After all that he had been waiting for, Shin getting hurt was the last thing he wanted. He looked down at Shin. Shin tightened the grip on N's leg and started to kick the air in anxiety. As N was about to tell Shin to calm himself, he noticed the Pokéballs attached to Shin's sash.

"Shin! Meganium! He can pull us with his vine whip!" Shin quickly grabbed Meganium's Pokéball from his sash. Shin would have had to throw the Pokéball in the air in order to let Meganium out safely. Considering his partner's size, Shin knew he wouldn't be able to do it from his distance, and he hardly had any strength left to throw the Pokéball at the right direction. With his shaky hand, he raised his arm up with Meganium's Pokéball in his hand.

"N… you let him out… I…" N looked at the Pokéball and tried to reach for it. That was when he heard another crackle, and the tree branch was about to break! Shin screamed in fear as he shifted lower into the ditch. But he was still hanging on, even though he didn't know how long it would last. "N! Hurry!" N didn't respond to Shin's call for help. By then, he had already been calling for Meganium in his heart.

_Meganium… Shin needs help… Can you hear me? Please come out. Please…" _N took a deep breath and repeated himself in his mind. In spite of how he had never attempted this, N prayed that it would work. _Meganium… it's me. Help us..!_

Suddenly, a flash came out of the Pokéball, and Meganium appeared right near N's arm, Meganium looked down at his legs and noticed how close he was to the ditch and shifted backwards. N smiled at Meganium and thanked him for listening. At the same point, Meganium noticed N and his partner clutched onto his leg. He couldn't believe what he witnessed…

Shin's eyes were tightly shut and he couldn't see anything that was happening above him. Even though he still managed to hang on, he was consumed by fear and a sense of panic. He noticed himself moving downward again, assuming that he would have to let go and hope that the drop into the ditch wouldn't hurt him very much. Right when Shin was about to let go, he noticed himself floating into the air. Shin smiled and sighed in relief, trusting that he could now let go of N's leg. His eyes were still shut but Shin was able to feel himself shift towards the side of the ditch and land safely. He placed his palms on the ground and slowly opened his eyes. Soon he felt a warm tickle against his cheek. He laughed as Meganium gave him a few laps on his cheek. He was glad to know that N had successfully led him out of the Pokéball.

"Hey~ stop that, you!" Shin commanded jokingly. As Shin sat up on the ground, he looked at Meganium and noticed the warm and kind facial expression that he had always had since he held onto him at the Pokémon Center. Somehow, after seeing N again, he felt more appreciative of Meganium's company as well. Even though he thought he knew the importance of being close with the friends that he loved, he realized how much he had taken them for granted. "Hehe, thanks, Buddy!" Shin reached out his arms and gave him a tight hug. "Thanks for saving us." But as Shin thanked the Herb Pokémon, Meganium shook his head. Shin broke the hug and wondered what he meant. "Hmm?" Meganium craned his neck to urge Shin to take a look. He witnessed N standing up and staring in disbelief.

"N…?" Even though he seemed quite distracted, N was able to respond to his own name.

"That wasn't Meganium, Shin…"

"What?" Shin moved his eyes to Meganium again. The Herb Pokémon smiled and nodded, once again telling him to look a little further ahead. As Shin realized what he saw with his friends, Shin widened his eyes and leg to of Meganium's neck, slowly sanding up and staring at the real rescuer. "…Celebi?" Before Shin could run over to him, Celebi playfully flew towards Shin and bumped into his chest, urging Shin to hold him tightly.

"Celebi… So, I was right. This was the forest you took me too. You actually led me here…" Even though Shin knew the truth about his pilgrimage, he was just happy to see the Time Travel Pokémon once again. But to him, the encounter was no longer meeting a sacred Pokémon that he and his late family worshipped. All of his questions were answered, and there was no border between the Messenger and the Guardian. They were more than that. They were friends.

Witnessing the Legendary Pokémon for the first time, N kept staring as Shin hugged it tightly. Once it noticed the attention it was getting, Celebi floated away from Shin's embrace and greeted N, twirling around his head as N gazed in awe. Celebi wasted no time and let the boy listen to its heart. To his surprise, N could hear Celebi so clearly. Celebi reached over to N's hands and held them, the blue eyes met each other and Shin enjoyed the similarities that N and Shin had.

When N looked at Celebi's eyes in return, tears were flowing out of his eyelids. But for once, Shin wasn't worried, he could tell that N needed a chance to le even though he was undeniably curious… N tightened his grip and looked at Shin, and back at Celebi.

"The Guardian of the Forest gives live to the forest, and travels through time."Shin widened his eyes. N's mumbles were verbatim from Mass.

"N, how do you know our…" Shin stopped mid-sentence and looked at Celebi and N as the look at each other. Shin didn't know the extent of N's ability, and it was proven to be absolutely mind-blowing. N continued, and Shin started to hear something he had never heard before in any Mass.

"Every creature deserves its healing inside the forest, even those with a broken heart. The most important message in the forest is the message of bonding. A broken heart shall be healed by another broken heart. Time is but a barrier than can be crossed over. The rest is up to each and every one of us. " As Shin realized he was hearing messages directly from the Guardian, he couldn't help but let the tears out. For 10 years, he had been searching for an answer. It was a long journey, and it spanned for half of his life, but he found what he had been looking for.

Celebi smiled at N. However they were conversing, N nodded in responded with a nod and let go of Celebi's little hands. Celebi floated over to Meganium first, flying around its neck and squeaking its cry. Meganium played along for a short while, and the two Grass Pokémon look at Shin. Celebi then held Shin's hands and looked at him with a smile and a nod. Celebi's smile faded away when it felt a tear drop onto their hands. Celebi floated and wiped the tears off of Shin's face. Shin smiled back and instinctively held Celebi tightly. Though shaky, Shin was able to let out a whispered message.

"Thank you…"

N witnessed the entire interaction, and knew for a fact that it wasn't just Shin, but it was also Meganium and Celebi that had earned what they have been searching for. N was happy once again. He was picked up in the forest, and the forest was also where he had never been prouder of what he could do. He looked back at his entire experience and realized how long of a journey it was for him as well, involving both humans and hundreds and thousands of Pokémon, three of them being legendary. But he needed to share them with others, and Shin deserved to know…

"Celebi has been watching over you for a long time. You have stayed true to the forest, and rescued it when in need, and yet the forest betrayed you by breaking your heart. Celebi was came to this forest to heal the wounds, as well as… mine…" N had realized that Shin wasn't the only one Celebi was watching over. He was surprised at what came out of his mouth.

"Yours?" Shin asked, remembering Rood's story about Shin being found in a forest. N spoke with Celebi with his heart for one last time. Celebi's final words made N speechless. Tears were flowing out out yet again. But he wipes them away immediately and gazed at Shin and remembered every single detail of the embrace on that evening that was the beginning of everything.

"Celebi brought you to help heal my heart, and he brought me to help heal yours... That's how the forest works. Celebi has indeed helped us throughout the years, but we were able to achieve it ourselves." N paused as confusion ran in his mind. "But Celebi, I don't deserve that. I have done nothing for you. In fact, I have been cruel to you and your messengers. Team Plasma has take away from the forest and has returned nothing. Why?" Celebi shook its head and flew around.

Suddenly, a group of six wild Pokémon flew and jumped over to N. He looked at them carefully and noticed that each and every one looked familiar. The wild Pokémon all tried to hug and play with N. All of the Pokémon also considered N as their friend. The innocent and childlike smile returned to N's face. Even though Team Plasma hadn't gone through this forest, N has visited this forest several times after being set free from his room. N had helped the forest by healing those that were in need. N's life and soul was also intertwined with the forest. He may have gone through trouble and conflict, but N finally realized that this was what mattered to him. What Shin told him earlier was right, and concluded that his human friend was indeed a true Messenger of the Forest. Celebi shifted itself towards that exact Messenger. Shin, once again instinctively, placed his arms around the Guardian, even cradling it gently.

"Celebi is thanking you, Shin." N said quietly. "Its telling you to keep living, and to keep smiling, and that the most important Guardian for you is not Celebi, but all of those that have healed your heart, both human and Pokémon, and regardless of time and place." Shin didn't know how to respond, but as he held Celebi tightly, he felt like he took a short tour of the past 20 years. As though to tie them all together, Meganium joined Celebi and starts to nuzzle at Shin. N smiled at the sight, and he had never been happier. His friends were all happy, and so was he.

Celebi and Shin embraced each othere for one last time before the Legendary Pokémon floated backwards. It tapped both Shin and N's head lightly and started to sparkle. The forest started to glow. It was time for Celebi to travel across time again. After the light grew brighter and brighter, it was concluded by an even brighter flash, Celebi disappeared. Shin was worried about how sad he would be the moment he bid farewell to the messenger, but surprisingly enough, he had no such emotion, and promised Celebi that he would continue being a Messenger in his heart. Shin knew that this was not the end.

N hugged each and every one of the wild Pokémon that came to him before they ran off to rest for the night. Shin pulled out his Pokéball and let Meganium do the same. The forest was quiet once again, with N and Shin being all by themselves under the trees and night sky. The two friends smiled at each other, remembering their first encounter, and realizing how their friendship had just begun, and that there was more to come. ]

**? / ? Years Ago**

The little boy was playing in the forest. His green hair and his blue eyes all matched the surrounding air so perfectly. A group of smaller Pokémon jumped all around him, and the boy enjoyed watching his friends being so friendly.

Suddenly, the boy noticed a little flash nearby. He curiously walked over, wondering what it was all about. By the time he had arrived, a Pokémon had appeared right in front of him, or at least he thought he did. It looked unfamiliar, but it was indeed a friend. The Pokémon looked like a fairy as well as a large bulb, and its blue eyes sparkled as the boy stared at them. The boy smiled, and the Pokémon flew around him. The boy jumped up, trying to catch him and hug him, but before he could, the Pokémon flew towards the boy snuggle up to him. As he hugged his friend like a stuffed animal, he heard the Pokémon's voice in his heart.

_You are a part of Nature, and you live with Pokémon in Harmony. You are my Messenger, and you always will be. _

The little boy scratched his green hair and looked. But Celebi smiled and gently tapped the boy's head and flew away. The boy tried to chase Celebi, wherever it was going, but there was no site of the Time Travel Pokémon. He stopped and took some time to look around at the forest that was surrounding him, along with his friends that had jumped over to play with the boy once again. He loved all of what he was experiencing. There was something that he treasured here, and he knew that none of it would ever leave him. They would always be beside him, with voices of the heart to share.


	23. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

**Nimbasa City Ferris Wheel**

N looked at the sky as the Ferris Wheel moved him upwards. He once thought his life was just like this Ferris wheel that would never stop, but during this journey to the sky and back, he was not alone. He wasn't alone here in this Ferris wheel cart either. But there was no conversing. Silence was all they needed. Despite that, as N floated into the sky to see the entire city, he blinked and leaned against the glass, starting to doze off.

Shin noticed that N had fallen asleep, and he smiled. There was a tremendous sense of relief in his mind; as though after the nightmare he had when they first met, he was finally able to see N fall asleep. He stood up inside the cart and moved to sit next to him. He wondered what he would have looked like asleep as a little boy, but after moving closer and taking a look, he realized that it wasn't necessary. N looked so innocent and carefree. Shin looked up at the sky as it started to redden. He enjoyed seeing the sunset, and to see it from such an angle was a wonderful moment. As N leaned to the other side, on Shin's shoulder Shin had a brotherly smile on him. He started to whisper a lullaby.

_Look behind you and you will see, the road you have walked throughout your journey_

_Keep your head up and you will see, the future that grows like a tree_

_It's okay to cry, and take a look at the sky_

_As you let out those tears, you'll wash away all of your fears_

_The wind that blows on your cheek, will tell you how you're not weak_

_And how it knows the strength inside you, by staying sincere and true_

_Your broken heart will see the sky, as you walk down the road with your head up high_

_You may get lost but fear not, you're stronger than you always thought…_

Shin was surprised at him self for still being able to sing it. He smiled at N and admired how much he has matured since their first encounter. Shin knew that hat little boy in the room had absolutely nothing to fear, and that his future was bright, even at that moment he woke up from a terrifying nightmare.

A few minutes later, N stirred and opened his eyes, noticing Shin sitting right next to him. He looked surprised, not expecting him to see him there. Shin playfully chuckled.

"You fell asleep." Shin teased. N smirked and looked out the glass window on Shin's side. He moved his head towards the sky. The sun was already setting very slowly, and it was the perfect view from the Ferris wheel. The orange sky reflected onto Shin's face and almost hid the red birthmark under his eye. Since the very beginning, it was definitely one of Shin's most noticeable traits. He couldn't help but take a closer look, instincitvely rubbing under his eye with his finger, as though N wiped Shin's tears away.

"Hey~!" Shin flinched but laughed at the cute gesture. He didn't tell N to stop. He was familiar with this reaction of curiosity, both in Johto and Unova. "People tend to think it was from the fire, but it's a birthmark. I always had it. I was definitely teased over it a long time ago, but I'm not bothered by it anymore. It's just something I was born with. There are more important things in life."

N didn't know what to say. Even though his childhood was a significant part of his life, he had never thought about the moment of his birth. He gazed at the sky again and imagined how an alternate life, where he had never lived in the forest and was never raised by Pokémon. But those thoughts didn't get stuck in N's mind very much. He preferred staring at the view from the Ferris wheel. It took some time for N to realize how he was finally able to accept the fact that he was born a human, even though he might have gone through different paths than others. Shin began to talk again, as though he read N's mind.

"I've always admired Celebi's ability to heal others. I never thought it was so powerful… The forest at Viridian City had this art that was carved on a tree, and the Messengers would look at it and wonder what Celebi was like. I honestly never thought Celebi would be so friendly. I also never thought that my Pilgrimage would mean so much more to me than I had ever imagined. It's amazing how different our assumptions can be from reality, and how there's so much to discover with our own eyes." N and Shin looked at each other. Shin smiled and gave Team Plasma a benefit of the doubt for the first time. "The Liberation of Pokémon… it's certainly new." N shook his head, having some new thought himself.

"There are thousands of Pokémon out there that need to be liberated, I still believe that. I just thought liberation would automatically lead to happiness, but I found out how that wasn't the case. The happiness of Pokémon is determined by the Pokémon themselves, and if their happiness comes from humans, there is nothing more that needs to be done. I can't believe I never thought about that a long time ago. I guess it goes to show how much more there is to learn, and that we should give it a lifetime before concluding that we were wrong."

Shin and N's Ferris wheel finally reached to top. The view of the big city was to die for, and the two friends looked glanced together. Shin sighed and thought about his decision to come to Nimbasa City during his move to Unova.

"I'm glad I decided to come to this city, rather than trying to find the forest that Celebi took me to immediately. I like big cities. They make me realize how beautiful everything is even with so many human emotions trying to get in the way. I've also never seen a city more filled with smiles, both from humans and Pokémon." He paused and looked at N. "It's a shame I never got to see you smile when you were little. I bet you had the sweetest smile in the whole world. I can't believe nobody ever treasured your ability to tie all of those smiles together through the heart." N looked out the window once again, appreciating all of Shin's compliments. But Shin had more to say.

"The Voice of the Heart… It definitely exists. You are the first one to discover its existence. There is so much more to the heart than what we try to say out loud, and it's not just Pokémon; each one of us has one too. When I think back at when we first met, and how I hugged you, it makes me think that sometimes we all have the ability to share our voices without even noticing it…"

As the Ferris Wheel moved downward, N looked at Shin, and then back at the sky. The world outside the castle was so much more beautiful than he had ever imagined. There's still so much he could do to help and contribute, but people like Shin and Pokémon like Celebi and Meganium and all of his friends were proof that there is even more to this beautiful view, and that he had so much to discover throughout the future. By the time the door to the Ferris wheel cart opened, N had fallen asleep again. He needed some rest after so many challenges, and perhaps Shin could let him stay at the teahouse that night.

"N? N~? Let's go!" N quickly opened his eyes and looked towards the door. Shin was already outside with friendly smile. He was reaching towards N's hand so he could stand up and come out of the Ferris Wheel. N nodded and took Shin by the hand and followed him outside. At that moment, he was also free from the Ferris wheel that he thought he was stuck in, and he was able to walk on his own, with a friend beside him that he could treasure and love. At that moment, N felt happy.

The End

"Lullaby"

Excerpt from **~Soko ni Sora ga Arukara~**

Lyrics written by **Natsumi Watanabe**

English translation by Hiroyuki Benjamin


End file.
